


Forever Isn't Enough

by twinkiecas



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Immortality, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-07 12:36:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 87,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5456750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinkiecas/pseuds/twinkiecas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Imagine a world where you are  18 until you find your soulmate. You don't age, you don't get wrinkles on your face, and you can't die of old age until then. You get to spend the rest of your life with your soulmate once you meet them. Why would you not want to be with them when you're immortality had been taken away? This world loves this concept. 60 year old women can walk down the street in high heels and tank tops with long healthy hair and appear to be not a day above 20. Many others love the concept of being able to live through so much history. The world is constantly changing of course.</p><p>Haruka Nanase is the oldest man on earth turning a 1000 years old. He is starting to believe the title is just a nice way to say that he'll never find his soulmate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sakura In the Spring

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I love Makoharu soulmate AUs don't you? Actually no any Makoharu AU is perfect let's be honest.
> 
> It's based off of a tumblr prompt I saw but I don't happen to have the link to :( If anyone finds it please tell me so I can give proper credit.
> 
> Also looking for a beta or two if anyone is willing to be one????

Imagine a life where you are born normally. You age and grow up and develop emotionally, physically, and mentally. And then you turn 18. And you suddenly stop growing. There's nothing wrong with you. According to the doctors you're not sick or anything. You just seem to not be able to age. But everyone around you is. They're aging and dying while you remain 18. No, sorry, the doctors were wrong. You  _ are _ aging. You feel it in your head as you continue to live your life and make memories. Oh yes you are 73 and yet 18 at the same time. It's your body that refuses to age. You're physically stuck in a young body for what it will seem like forever. 

And then you meet them. The most beautiful person you have ever met. They light the whole world for you and smile as they hold your hand and kiss you. You feel at ease as they whisper sweet nothings in your ear. And like magic, you start to age. You're 75 but 21 at the same time. You're 100 but 46. Your partner too, is old. They might be just as old as you. They're your soulmate. And they couldn't age either until they have found you. 

Imagine a world where you are 18 until you find your soulmate. You don't age, you don't get wrinkles on your face, and you can't die of old age until then. You get to spend the rest of your life with your soulmate once you meet them. Why would you not want to be with them when you're immortality had been taken away? This world loves this concept. 60 year old women can walk down the street in high heels and tank tops with long healthy hair and appear to be not a day above 20. Many others love the concept of being able to live through so much history. The world is constantly changing of course.

For Haruka 'Haru' Nanase this gift is a blessing and a curse. He is commonly known to the world as the eldest man to have ever lived. He's turning 1,000 years old soon. Yup he has lived and traveled throughout the world had been able to witness and experience 1,000 years of history. But it's only because of one reason: he hasn't met his soulmate. Haru thinks that his famous title is just a nice way to say that he's a helpless cause.

He doesn't really mind it, being the oldest guy to have ever lived. It's just the people  _ oh the people _ that annoy him. Some people believe his soulmate had died of disease or was killed in battle. Others believe his soulmate hasn't been born yet. God how he wants them to shut up and leave him alone. He is not some world mystery he is just merely a man who likes to travel and is finally settling down to live his life.

-

Haru likes Washington D.C. in the spring. The cherry blossoms are in bloom and they remind him of home. He was born and raised in Japan in the year 1016. For all his life he had gotten used to the seasonal cherry blossoms and their beauty. During Japan's isolation period the only thing that kept him from going insane of not being able to travel were the trees. As ridiculous as it sounds, Haru loves them.

He sits back on a bench and examines the scenery before him. The grove of cherry blossoms surround a lake creating a whimsical scenery. Haru, using the sketchpad on his lap, begins to imitate the scenery before him. As he draws he realizes how close it is to the start of his college years.

In all of his life he's never really been to a school. In the year he was born in, education was a word he didn't even knew existed. In the 1300s he was taken in by a rich noble family where they educated him. In the 1500s he traveled across Europe and explored the monarchies of Spain, France, England, and the Netherlands. He had learned everything he could of all the cultures and brought back to Japan everything he learned, especially books. In the 1600s though Japan had basically closed their country to the outside world due to the invasion of missionaries. The trade they allowed was with China and the Dutch. Haru had heard rumors of Dutch men bringing European goods and the latest news in the world. Although Haru was not allowed to leave Japan, he wanted to know about the outside world and it's belongings. Because of this Haru worked as a merchant on the ports of Nagasaki.

Haru enjoyed being able to obtain books and artifacts from all over the world. He had made acquaintances of many Dutch merchants that would last for decades. Even though he was not able to witness them, Haru was able to get information on what was going on in the West.

He did admit that he loved hearing the stories. Especially about the New World. He had heard from the Dutch that the place was like a paradise and the inhabitants of the place were caring and gave away riches "beyond your wildest dreams". He heard about the Revolutionary War and the rise of a new nation that did not serve under a king. Haru wondered about the place and how the people who created such an odd nation were like.

Turns out they were pretty crazy. Although the Dutch kept trading, the Netherlands began to fall back in riches and the Japanese fell into a lack of technology. They were certainly primitive compared to the ones the people of the new nation had. They called themselves Americans and spoke a strange variation of English than what Haru had remembered. They had these big black vessels that couldn't be destroyed. They started demanding in Japanese that the ports be opened to the whole world again. When the Meiji government took over Haru took it as his cue to leave and travel the world again.

He revisited all of his favorite places and studies the new cultures and ideals of the nations. When the first World War began Haru was in the United Kingdom exploring the new and rich London. In World War II Haru was in South America exploring the New World he had been told about by the Dutch merchants. In recent years he has been in America.

Now here he is, in Washington D.C. the day before he returns to New York. He'll be attending an elite college in August. The college is one of the best and is known for many rich, and smart people or for those that truly want to perfect a profession as its students.

For Haruka he wants to excel in art. He's always loved it since he was 300 years old when the noble family began to teach him. He has made some money off of a few paintings of his but he wants more.

After drawing the outline of the cherry blossom trees surrounding the body of water, Haruka set down his pencil and closed his sketchbook. Tomorrow morning he'll be in New York City in search of an apartment close to the college. He doesn't have a lot of money for being unemployed for over a 100 years due to travelling so he'll need to share it with someone else.

Placing his things in his bag and standing up he took in one more time the view in front of him. It still amazes him how he can feel in a whole different world just by a simple view. Haru didn't like using his phone but he thought that he should take a picture feeling like a sketch would not be enough. After taking the picture he lifts his bag and places it on his shoulder and begins to walk away from the orchard.

Tonight he'll be on a plane to New York. Tomorrow he'll begin his search for an apartment to live in. Next week he'll explore the area. In May he'll travel to Japan for his birthday in June. July he'll come back to New York and move in with his roommate and begin preparing for August. August will start with college.

The life of the eldest man on earth continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a prologue than a first chapter which is why it's boring but I promise it'll get more interesting! I apologize for any mistakes because I lazily edited it :')


	2. Handshakes For Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> July 3, 2016: Haru meets Makoto on the day he moves in to his apartment with his roommate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy?!?! I didn't expect this to get so popular quickly??? Is this AU actually that good??? 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments btw I really appreciate it :)

In the 150 years Makoto Tachibana has lived in the United States he has never felt any more nervous. It's ridiculous though. It's just college. It's not even going to be the first he'll be attending. In fact this is going to be his third time. First time he went was to get an actual education to learn how to read and write English in the 1600s. Then in the 1800s he studied in Harvard to become a coach to teach children to swim. That is what he has been doing for the past two centuries. Coaching swimmers all over the United States. He's now going to be going to an elite college to become a teacher for Literature.

Now the question was, why was he so nervous? He has spoken English for over 400 years. Literature is something he enjoys. It's easy for him to make friends. Oh right. It's the apartment.

He had happened to find another Japanese student that was going to the same college as him. The student was looking for a roommate to split the cost with. Through email they had agreed on meeting at the apartment complex on July 3rd at noon. Today was that day.

And it was 11:55 in the morning. Five more minutes and he'll be meeting the student for the first time. He's glad that his new roommate had chosen a location in New Jersey instead of New York City. Makoto doesn't think he would have liked to have slept in those expensive cruddy apartments and having to learn to sleep through the busyness of the city. They don't call it "The City That Never Sleeps" for nothing.

He gets off the bus and looks down at the directions.  _ He's smart _ Makoto thinks as he begins to walk to the building. The neighborhood is quiet like any suburban area. From a distance you can see the skylights of New York. The bus stop is five minutes away from the apartment building. The brown haired boy walked down the street and noticed a moving truck pass by him.  _ Good _ . He thinks to himself.  _ My stuff have arrived. _

He continues to walk looking at all the houses surrounding the street. It's shocking that such a nice place as this was a lot cheaper than New York City. He approaches the building and enters through the front. The student had said they'll meet in the lobby and head to the apartment together. He glanced around seeing if there was anyone that seemed to be waiting. Nobody was in the lobby except for the receptionist and the men who were bringing Makoto's things into the lobby. Makoto checks his watch and smiles.

"Well I guess I'm early then."

Makoto walks towards the chairs to the side of the lobby. He sits down on one and ponders for a moment. Could his roommate be running late? Did Makoto get the date wrong? Did the student get the date wrong? Did-

"Tachibana right?"

Makoto looked up and blinked as if the sight before him was blinding. All he could see was blue eyes staring at him intensely. They were a deep blue as dark as the ocean. Makoto blinked again to study the man before him.

He was short compared to most of the guys Makoto has met but then again American dudes are  _ huge  _ compared to the rest of the world. (Makoto himself is considered a giant from where he came from.) His hair is black with shades of navy blue if caught in the light. He appears to be in his twenties but the hardness in his face reveals to Makoto that he is hundreds of years old. Maybe they were about the same age?

"Yeah," Makoto smiles and holds out his hand, "Feel free to call me Makoto."

-

Haru enters the lobby and hangs back studying the place. He has an hour before Tachibana, his roommate, arrives. The two have not talked much in their emails only making agreements on splitting the price, what they will bring to the apartment and Haru giving the address to Tachibana.

He'll admit he is kind of nervous. But it wasn't the oh-my-god-I'm-going-to-puke nervous. It was more of an excitement, a warm feeling, that gently caresses his whole body as he lives his everyday life. In all 1000 years of his life he's never experienced such a feeling. Was Haru really this excited for the start of college? No that can't be it.

He opens the door to his apartment and begins to push all of his boxes around to make room for Tachibana later. He picks up a glass from a box and heads to the sink and fills it with water. Studying the empty apartment he drinks some of the cool liquid. He hopes Tachibana isn't annoying. He's had annoying roommates before and he certainly does not want that to happen again. He grabs a box that was by the door and drops it into the room that he decided to claim as his bedroom. He takes out the contents of the box, a few books, a few relics, a painting of him and his "family" from the 1500s and a few photographs of him and friends from the late 1800s and early 1900s. He's positive that the majority of the people in the photographs have been dead for years. He puts the contents of the box back inside and lifts it up, taking it out of his bedroom. Wrong box. He continues this routine, searching for the correct box when he notices the time on the clock of the kitchen he had set up the day before.

11:59:59

Haru sets down the box as fast but gently as possible and quickly dashes out the door. He did not want to make the first impression that he was some irresponsible guy to his new roommate. They were going to be living together for at least a year of course.

Upon arriving to the lobby Haru looks around for anyone. He sees the receptionist who gives him a nod before returning to her work. He sees the men coming out of a moving truck carrying boxes varying in size. And then he sees him.

Haru honestly didn't know what to expect from his new roommate. All he knew was his last name, his nationality, the college he is going to be attending, and that they were now going to be living together. He didn't expect Tachibana to be... _ gorgeous _ .

Haru has seen his fair share of attractive guys in his life but he's never seen one that made him stop to stare for a second. Tachibana was tall and broad with olive brown hair that appears to not have been brushed in days. His skin is tan like the Greeks. He wasn't sure why he knew the man before him was his soon to be roommate. He just knew it.

He approached the man and spoke in a soft voice, "Tachibana right?"

The mop of brown hair lifted and Haru felt his cheeks burning as he stared into the jade orbs of the man's eyes. They were absolutely mesmerizing.

"Feel free to call me Makoto," Tachibana says and holds out his hand.

Haru looks down and grabs the big hand and shakes it. He could feel the rough edges on the man's skin and the warmth radiating from their brief touch. Haru looks again at the man. They let go of each other's hands. And suddenly it feels like the magic has disappeared.

"Right, my name is Nanase Haruka. I prefer Nanase," Haru begins to turn around, "Would you like to start bringing your stuff to the apartment?"

Tachibana nods and picks up a relatively big box with ease. Haru offers to help but the man refuses. Haru leads him to the apartment and opens the door for his roommate.

"As promised I took the bedroom to the left and yours is to the right," Haru says as he grabs the keys on the counter, "And these are the keys."

Makoto sets his box down amongst Haru's and he smiles as he takes the keys from Haru.

"It's even nicer than it looked in the pictures," Makoto looked around with a pleased look, "You have a good eye Nanase."

Haru took the glass he had taken out earlier and re-filled it with water. He holds the cup to his mouth and smiles. He can totally get along with this guy.

Tachibana turns around and looks around at all the boxes, "Should I get the other boxes?"

Haru nods, "I'll help."

-

They spent the next three hours unpacking everything. They set up together the living room and helped each other assemble the nightstands and bookshelves of each other's rooms. Makoto had ordered pizza and they ate together on the counter.

"You said you traveled a lot?" Makoto asked and Nanase nodded unable to speak because his mouth was full, "Where?"

"Everywhere except for Antarctica and the North Pole," Nanase answered.

"Wow! That means you've been to Paris right?"

Nanase pointed to one of his unopened boxes, "I have a painting of the city that I did in the 1920s."

Makoto turned, "Oh that's right you're an artist!"

Nanase's piercing blue eyes met Makoto's. He could feel the way Nanase is studying him. He's probably doing the same thing as Makoto. Estimating his age, estimating his opinions on soulmates, does he still have hope? Is he the type to have artifacts from all over and all of time?

It's easy to tell once you get a few centuries old. The eyes and jaw tell what their age is. Makoto has been told that his eyes and jaw don't fit what a normal 500 year old person would have. He has eyes that fit for a person of 100 years. Attitude determines stance at soulmates. Usually the more bitter they are the least they seem to care. Nanase seems to be quiet and aloof by the few hours Makoto has spent with him but Makoto could tell that the man still had hope. It was again in the eyes. The way they lovingly look at everything in the room. Yup. He still has hope.

"Do you have siblings in Europe?" Nanase says after a few moments of silence.

Makoto nodded, "Yes they're both younger than me by six years. Ran lives in Paris while Ren lives in London. It's been like that since the 1800s."

Nanase nods as he begins to stand up, "You seem to really care for them."

"I do," Makoto laughed following Nanase's steps, "I skype them every week, and Ran calls me everyday."

"I was an only child," Nanase responds as he places the dishes in the sink, "My parents died when I was 60 and it wasn't until I turned 300 when another family took me in. They were a rich noble family. I'm still in contact with one of their descendants."

"That's nice," Makoto studies the boy for a second as he places the dishes in the sink as well. Nanase's delicate hand glides over the counter as the man stops and turns to face his roommate. For a second it feels like he's in that moment again when he first met him 3 hours ago, "Shall we continue?"

Nanase lifts the box he had pointed to earlier and asks, "Can I hang some of my paintings?"

Makoto smiled at the boy as he helps him take out the contents, "I was gonna ask if we were going to add some color to this place."

"Well then I have the perfect things."

_You do._ Makoto thinks. _You've got_ _everything perfect._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope this makes up for that disaster of the first chapter. Again I edited this lazily so sorry for any mistakes :')
> 
> Third chapter is already written but I do have a couple of tests and a paper write before my break so hopefully it will be up by Christmas? Or maybe even before idk depends.


	3. Friends On Independence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> July 4, 2016: Haruka and Makoto spend the day with their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Everybody!  
> Nagisa, Rei, Rin, and Sousuke finally come in this chapter so let's celebrate!
> 
> EDIT: [Here is a very poorly done design of what the apartment looks like!](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2h_iGzMcrk1bEFpUnRxc1RpdUpzM25jOVVJa2hPMng0SEk0/view?usp=sharing)

Makoto wakes up to the smell of food. The night before he and his roommate have stayed up until late unpacking everything for their apartment. He gets up groggily vaguely remembering that Nanase mentioned he is an early bird and will likely cook breakfast early in the morning.

Makoto heads into the bathroom that was adjoined to his bedroom and closes it. He was so tired the night before that he was unable to shower before sleep took him away. He rids himself of his clothes and turns on the shower. The brunet washes himself up and once done he steps out and quickly dries himself. He steps into his bedroom with only the towel around his waist and brings out his clothes for the day. A simple plaid shirt and jeans.

Walking into the kitchen he sees Nanase in his swimsuit with an apron on, his hair still wet from being recently in the bath. Makoto can see that his roommate was decently muscled and had the body of an athlete although his roommate never mentioned he did a sport. Judging by the swimsuit was it swimming perhaps? Nanase turns around, those electric blue eyes meeting Makoto's calm green ones. Why is he studying him so often? Makoto had already assumed that Nanase had gotten the gist of him from last night.

And then as if Makoto was holding it back he bursts into laughter.

-

Haru takes a step back as Tachibana laughs. It wasn't even a giggle it was a loud laugh that had the man holding onto his stomach as he laughed. How dare he do such a rude thing so early in the morning? Haru made a small clicking noise in his head.

"Why are you laughing?" he demanded to his roommate who stopped abruptly.

Tachibana's face turned bright red as he waved his hands all over the place trying to explain something but Haru was already zoning out. He of course has some breakfast to attend to which would burn if he stops to listen to Tachibana.

"Whatever," Haru puffed as he turned off the stove, "Just don't laugh when you eat my food okay?"

Tachibana smiled, "What's for breakfast?"

"Mackerel."

Tachibana's gagging sound made Haru want to gag. Annoying.

Sometime after breakfast Tachibana had left to join his friends for Independence Day. He has also invited Haru to go with him but Haru had made plans already with others so he had to decline his roommate's offer.

As if it was on cue, Haru's phone rang as soon as Tachibana left and Haru had entered his room. Haru doesn't even check to see the caller because he knew who would be the only person to call him. He snatches the phone that was on the nightstand and answers it. He holds the phone a bit away from his ear knowing if it were any closer he'd probably go deaf.

"HARU-CHANNNNN" the caller went and Haru frowned.

"Nagisa," Haru replied in his monotone voice, still keeping the phone away from his ear.

"Haru-chan! I haven't seen you in foreverrr I feel like you abandoned me and Rei-chan!"

A voice in the background yelled something like, "Stop making him sound like the bad guy!" indicating that yes Rei, Nagisa's boyfriend was with him as well.

Haru has known Nagisa Hazuki for 300 years. In fact Haru is kind of like an older brother to Nagisa. He is a descendant from the noble family that "adopted" Haru and educated Haru in the 1300s. Nagisa proudly calls Haru his best friend but Haru would rather not call it exactly a friendship. However for the past 30 years Nagisa is the closest thing Haru has to family and friends.

"Nagisa are we still on for tonight?" Haru finally had the phone to his ear positive Nagisa had stopped yelling whatever he was yelling before.

"Yeah we are. We're meeting in Central Park at 5 right?"

Haru hummed in a confirmation, "I'll see you then."

Nagisa giggled, "Don't keep us waiting Haru-chan!"

"Oh and Nagisa?" Haru paused for a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," Haru said abruptly and then he hangs up the phone not wanting to deal with Nagisa after that.

He sets the phone on his nightstand and glances at the clock. Two hours. Tachibana had already left so he was positive he can just strip from his clothes and walk around his apartment as he pleased. And so he did that. Haru throws his dirty laundry into his hamper and enters the bathroom adjoined to his bedroom. He turns on the bathtub and enters it. Immediately his skin feels like it is being massaged and Haru sighs in bliss.

Haru closes his eyes but keeps his thoughts at bay. He doesn't want to fall asleep. He has somewhere to be of course. After 45 minutes Haru gets out and gets changed into a blue shirt and jeans. After an hour he's on the bus that's heading into the city. By 90 minutes he's just casually strolling down the streets of New York buying some time until he has to go to Central Park.

Haru meets Nagisa and Rei by their designated meeting spot at exactly the time they had agreed on. 

"Haru-channnn!" A small blonde boy whose 18 year old body resembles one of a ten year old, tackles Haru causing him to step back.

He's actually not as small as one would think however. He's only two inches shorter than Haru. It's really that small childish face of his that makes him appear that way. Nagisa refused to let go of Haru in their embrace so he looks at the tall purple haired man with red glasses who smiles apologetically.

"My apologizes Haruka-senpai," Rei says as he pries Nagisa off of Haru, "He has missed you a lot over the past year."

Haru's heart skipped a beat. That's right. They haven't spent a lot of time together in the past year. They have both been so busy...

"Right..." Haru frowns and ruffles Nagisa's hair the same way he has done since Nagisa was 3, "I've missed you too."

Nagisa smiles sheepishly and grabs Rei's hand before planting a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. Haru has known Rei for over ten years now since Rei had helped Haru out in settling into modern Japan when he had returned in 2006. Through Haru, Rei and Nagisa met last December on New Years Eve. They hit it off immediately and a week later it was announced that they were soulmates and that they are together.

Haru feels like a third wheel as a blushing Rei announces that it's time to eat. They head into a restaurant and eat together and catch up. Rei and Nagisa have settled together in Florida where Rei currently resides as a part of NASA and Nagisa as a popular author who on the internet is lovingly known as "the author that can't decide on a genre to stick with." Remembering from the night before that Tachibana had mentioned he was going to study Literature to become a teacher, Haru made a mental note that the two had to meet.

"Ah Haruka-senpai I forgot, how are you settling here in New York?" Rei asks.

"Good. Met Makoto Tachibana yesterday," Haru lifted up his drink and took a sip. He noticed the confused looks on his friend's faces so he sighed, "My roommate I mentioned last month."

"Ah yeah I forgot about that," Rei laughed, "If I remember correctly you said he was going to the same college as you right? Is he studying Art as well?"

Haru shook his head, "No, he's studying Literature. Wants to become a professor or something in the area."

"Whaaaa? Literature?" Nagisa leans over the table to get closer to Haru, "Why I already like Mako-chan!" Rei is shouting something to coax Nagisa back down into a proper position but Haru ignores him to pay attention to Nagisa, "What's he like? Is he hot? Is he shy? Is he rude? Does he talk in his sleep?"

Rei sighs, "Nagisa-kun we have talked about this! Do not use such familiar terms on somebody you haven't even met!" Nagisa turns around to pout at Rei and the man with glasses snarls, "Sit down this instant Nagisa-kun!"

Nagisa laughs and kisses Rei's cheeks before settling his head on his soulmate's shoulder, "You're so cute when you're angry Rei-chan."

Haru, in an attempt to prevent the couple from getting anymore aggravating, answers, "Tall with olive brown hair. Gentle green eyes that always look like they're daydreaming. Yes. Not really? He can get annoying with it but he's only ever shown kindness to me since we've met. I don't sleep with him Nagisa how could I possibly-

"Haru-chan!" Nagisa teases, "Seems like you already know so much about him."

Haru blushes and turns his head to face the streets of the city, "What are you getting at?"

It's like that for a second while Nagisa laughs. And then Haru smiles as he continues to watch the street. They continue talking now about trivial subjects like books, and politics and shows. Haru smiled a small one as he began to zone out a bit. And then Nagisa's face fell.

Haru frowned, "What's wrong?"

"You're going to do it again are you?" Nagisa looked at Haru with his magenta eyes, "You're going to start acting different and then when I start to get old you'll leave."

Haru looked down on his lap and fiddled with his hands, "Nagisa don't say such-

"No! Don't say anything!" Nagisa pleaded, "I have a soulmate now and I'm going to age. It's my last century and I'm going to be dead by the end of it. Meanwhile you still don't have one. You're going to continue living. It's going to be painful just like what happened with Aki-chan-

"Please don't say her name," Haru interrupted feeling the guilt beginning to pry at his heart, "I'm trying to get over it."

Rei glanced between Nagisa and Haru and sighed. Rei doesn't know who they are talking about. Rei looks at Nagisa who senses his gaze and turns to face him. It was like a small conversation between them for a split second before Nagisa sighed and mumbled an apology. Sensing it was time to change the mood, Nagisa smiled mischievously at the frowning Haru.

"Hey, hey Haru-chan," Nagisa cooed, "When are you gonna introduce us to Mako-chan?"

-

Rin Matsuoka is probably one of the greatest people Makoto has ever gotten to know in his life. They have been friends for a long time. From the moment they met the red-haired man with eyes to match has been right by Makoto's side. Through Makoto's toughest times and with the best, he had always been there. And in return Makoto has supported Rin.

Rin was 20 now having been with his soulmate Sousuke Yamazaki for two years. He is a ten times gold medalist in the Olympics.

And really Makoto loves Rin. He does. But he sometimes wonders what the hell does he get himself into with Rin.

Like right now. They're at a fancy bar somewhere in New York. Makoto can't remember where. And Rin brought his boyfriend Sousuke and they're both getting drunk while Makoto has only sipped some water. He wouldn't have mind it, he knows Rin is a big drinker and loves to get drunk. Makoto always used to look after Rin when he was just...gone. But honestly he doesn't need to witness this.

Sousuke holding Rin like that. Them kissing like that. Sousuke whispering dirty things into Rin's ear and Rin just smirking and whispering dirty things back. The images that appear in his head are nothing that he can get rid of.

And suddenly Makoto takes a deep breath and he closes his eyes. The bar's music fades away to a more melodic one. Makoto opens his eyes. That's right. That was last year. It's 2016, Makoto pull yourself together.

They are in a high-tech restaurant on the outskirts of Times Square. Sousuke and Rin are sitting next to each other at a respectful distance and were talking. Makoto sighs and Rin turns around to face his best friend.

"Are you okay?" Rin asks, his eyebrows raised and his eyes sparkling with concern.

Makoto stares at Rin blankly lost in his thoughts.

"Yo Makoto," Rin started to snap his fingers in front of his best friend's face.

Makoto blinks, suddenly back in reality, "Huh?"

"I was asking if you were okay," Rin lifts his drink, "You were spacing out."

"Ah sorry," Makoto smiles sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, "I didn't mean to I just..."

"I know. I'm still sorry about last time," Rin's eyes fell onto Sousuke's plate of food, "It won't happen again."

"I know," Makoto smiles, "You were both drunk and your soulmates. It is meant to happen."

Sousuke who was silent until now spoke,"Don't say it like it's excusable."

Makoto opened his mouth to protest but Sousuke waved him off. It was hilarious that the two men were both about the same height and broad-shouldered men and yet Makoto's personality is too sweet that it is constantly dominated by Sousuke.

"I'm not letting you sit there and say it’s fine. It's not. Look what we had done because we..."

Makoto smiled at his two friends, "I'm over it."

"Please don't put the fact that we're soulmates as a reason to say it's okay," Rin added and Makoto frowned, "When you meet your soulmate you'll understand that what we did..."

Sousuke's hand found Rin and Rin smiled looking down at their joined hands, "There are some things that even lovers do that shouldn't be acceptable."

Makoto blinked and he looked down taking a sip of his wine, "Do you really think I'd find them in time?"

"What?" The couple said in unison and Makoto smiled his eyes drooping sadly.

"My soulmate, before November when I..."

Rin dropped his mouth but quickly closed in realization of how rude he was being, "Makoto you're already that old?"

Makoto nodded but smiled all the same, "500 years on November 17."

Rin smiled, "It's you Makoto, I know you'll find them before time is up."

Makoto sighed, "Honestly I can't even imagine myself as a Soulless... it just doesn't fit my personality."

In the past century a new sort of belief has begun to occur. It was a belief that soulmates do not exist and that one loses their immortality once they find a love for their own. It's been sort of hard to prove it correctly since in the beginning the idea was not popular. Even though the chances of ever finding your soulmate decrease as you get older, people still believed that there was somebody out there for them and that they had to find them. In recent years however the beliefs of the now called Soulless have grown immensely popular. Already 25% of the United States believe in the Soulless. There has even been a law passed that once a citizen turned 500 years of age they were considered Soulless unless they find or have found their soulmate.

Makoto has been a citizen of the United States since the 1900s. There is no way he can back out of becoming a Soulless. He didn't like the idea of it at all. He wanted to believe that there was somebody out there for him too.

Rin grinned in his teasing way that was used to try and make Makoto feel better, "I'm sure you'll be a popular Soulless. I mean look at you!"

Makoto laughed playing along with Rin's attempt to make him feel better, "Don't be jealous if I come in with the most gorgeous person on Earth who also happens to be Soulless."

"Oh you mean me?"

"Sousuke!"

Rin is the best friend Makoto could ever ask for. He can make him forget about the dark parts of his thoughts.

_ I'm running out of time but somehow I feel like I will find them before time is up. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I lazily edited this chapter so I'm sorry for any mistakes.  
> I am free all of next week so I may be able to get two chapters in however that is not a promise :')


	4. August Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> August 10, 2016: Classes for Haru start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what was going on by the end of the chapter I swear it just started writing itself.  
> On another note just to avoid confusion in the future Makoto and Haru spoke Japanese to each other and spoke English to everybody else in the chapter :)
> 
> Oh I also really enjoy your comments so please don't be afraid to comment! I don't even mind if it's just a simple "Please update soon!"  
> Anyways here's another chapter!!!

Haru sighed entering the room and settled himself into his assigned seat near the back of the room. He was so high up he wondered if he'll be able to see the professor's face. It was his first day of college and he was sort of excited. Tachibana had been to college before and he described what it was like. He seemed to really enjoy it. Although Haru has a personality nothing like his roommate, he trusted Tachibana's opinions.

Haru took his notebook and pencil from his bag and scanned the room as the other students came in. Haru sighed. Majority of the these students will be between the ages of 17-25 and since most people find their soulmates within the first 30 years of their life, they will appear to look between 18-20 years old. As the room began to fill, Haru noticed a pattern in the students. The first year students like him stood out with their unique outfits. They weren't impressive or anything but at least they were nice compared to the pajamas the second-years walked in with. The third-years and above appeared to have created some sort of casual unspoken uniform. They all wore tank tops from the same two brand names. The girls all wore their hair up in ponytails or buns. The boys had the same style of backpacks. The third years also tended to stay by those of their age or above not even giving a glance to the other students below them.

As proof of that a white girl with blonde hair and pale blue eyes came up to Haru and took the seat next to him not even bothering to greet him. Haru was a bit stunned at the rudeness but he just casually glanced at her before returning to study the rest of the students coming into the room. The girl must have looked at his outfit and age and assumed he was an 18 year old boy coming fresh out of high school. Smiling to himself Haru wondered how the girl would react if he had told her he was actually the eldest man on Earth.

It took a total of seven minutes for that girl to realize that Haru was a lot older than she originally thought. She kept on glancing at him as Haru watched her from the corner of his eye. She must have first realized that Haru's attitude was a lot more mature and that he was not like the other first-years. The third-year finally lifted a hand and tapped on Haru's shoulder. Haru turned around and faced the girl who was smiling shyly.

"Uh hi my name is Erica," the girl said and held out her hand, "This is your first year in college yes?"

Haru nodded and took her hand, "Nanase, yes."

Erica nodded and went on talking about how well she knew the place and if he ever needed help with anything to contact her. Before she can give her number to Haru however, the professor came in and class had begun.

Immediately turning, Haru began to dive into his notes. This was going to be a tiring year.

-

On the campus of the college, Makoto sat in the library waiting for the time to pass by to go to his next class. Unlike Nanase, Makoto's first day had been two days ago so he was already beginning work. He was reviewing the notes from his most recent class when he spots a guy coming over. He immediately recognizes the man from his Literary Analysis class. He was tan skinned and spoke in an accent that indicated his first language was Spanish, however Makoto wasn't sure what nationality he truly was. He had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and seemed to have a permanent resting pout all the time. He was a first year like Makoto, probably 18 judging by his features. When the two of them made eye contact Makoto waved and smiled and the man took it as a cue to walk over.

"Oh hey it's you," the man said when he came to the table Makoto was sitting at, "We're in the same Literary Analysis class right?"

Makoto nodded, "I sit two seats behind you. Sorry I never got to introduce myself I'm Makoto."

The man took the offered hand, "Anthony but I prefer Tony."

"Ah okay Tony," the brunet smiled at his classmate, "You passing the time as well?"

Tony nodded his brown hair swaying to his movement, "I have Latino American Literature in an hour. You?"

"Shakespeare."

Tony turned, "I was thinking of going out of campus to grab a snack at one of the nearby stores but I don't think I have enough time."

"There's a bakery that's on main street and is a bit secluded so not many know about it," Makoto offers, "It's a ten minute walk from here if we start now I'm sure you'll make it in time. Would you like me to show you the place?"

Tony smiled showing the whites of his teeth, "I'll appreciate that."

-

Haru sighed when he exited his last class of the day. It was only his first day and although he didn't have a lot of classes that day, he already was taxed with 2 projects and a paper. The projects were fairly easy and according to the assignment sheets he was given, he had plenty of time to do them however he did not expect the paper to be so early in the course. He had expected to at least have a lesson in Art History before having to write. At least the paper was on a topic that Haru already knew enough of.

He stops at the fountain in the middle of the entrance of campus and sits on it. According to the schedule this day was the day Tachibana and Haru ended their classes at the same time so they had agreed to go home together. The art building is closer to the exit than the literature building so Haru had to wait a bit for Tachibana.

He has lived with the guy for a month and already Haru knows his habits and such. For example he knew that Tachibana would come to Haru apologizing for making him wait. With that Haru would reply with a simple "it's fine" and they would begin walking to the bus station. Then Makoto would talk about his day, how easy or difficult they are, the teacher and the students and he would go on about a story of a new friend he met as Haru just nods along to indicate he was paying attention when he really wasn't. Tachibana would smile and giggle endlessly, those green eyes of his sparkling as he continues in joy. Honestly it was a bothersome task for him and yet every time it would happen Haru felt at ease. It was just that predictable.

"Sorry for making you wait," as predicted the man came into Haru's view, "Ruined World has a lot of people in it."

Haru didn't even glance at his roommate as the black haired man stood up and began walking out of campus with a quick, "Let's go."

And so the predictive evening begins.

"In the library today I ran into somebody in my Literary Analysis class," Tachibana began with a smile on his face, "He wanted to grab a snack so I took him to the bakery that I was telling you about yesterday and he really enjoyed it."

There it is.

"You should come sometime with me too Haru."

Haru paused, not expecting Tachibana to say his first name and invite him. He glances at the tall brunet and sees that stupid sweet innocent smile on his face and those green eyes prompting for an answer. In realization that he has stared for too long Haru felt his face heat up and he immediately turned around, his eyes falling to the floor, and opened his mouth to say something but nothing would come out. There were so many thoughts swirling in his head and he manages to say the easiest after a few seconds.

"Don't call me by my first name," Haru says picking up the pace of his stride.

Tachibana laughed defeated, "Ah sorry Nanase, I forgot."

Haru walks a bit more forward and steals a glance at Tachibana before muttering,"But the bakery sounds nice."

Tachibana's eyes crinkled a bit as he hummed happily, "How about Sunday?"

Haru shows a small rare smile, "Okay."

They approach the bus stop and look at the time. The bus was expected to come in a minute.

"Nanase," Tachibana's green eyes are studying his companion.

Haru was facing the street with an impassive face but he watched his roommate from the corner of his eye.

"How was your day?" the taller man asks in a light upbeat tone.

Haru clicks his tongue in his head. Annoying. But at least they have returned to their predictive evening.

The bus begins to pull up as Haru responds with a short, "I already have so much work to do."

Tachibana is giggling as the bus stops to pick the two boys up.

-

Before Makoto knows it, it's Sunday afternoon and he is relaxing in his apartment reading Fahrenheit 451 for his Ruined World class. However it was hard to focus when his roommate was on the other side of the couch sketching. Makoto just can't help himself from admiring the way Nanase's pale hands grip the pencil as they create works of art on paper. He studies the way his roommate purses his chapped lips as he concentrates. The first day Makoto had met him, he had learned that Nanase was a quiet man. It took a week to realize that all his emotions were there and that it took observations to recognize them. After a month of living with this man Makoto can conclude that he is starting to be able to read his roommate's expressions.

Like right now Nanase's eyes are sparkling but distant lost inside his head as he outlines something. Adjusting his glasses Makoto sees that it was an orchard of trees. He looks at Nanase's eyes again and studies as his hands began to slow down, adding a few small touches here and there, his sapphire eyes begin to slowly fade back into reality as if he was realizing the magic in his art was diminishing. The black haired boy closes the sketchbook and sighs contently, his eyes shining with a look of refreshment and places the sketchbook on the sleek black coffee table in front of him before turning to Makoto who was pretending to be reading as his roommate stared.

He tries not to blush as Nanase continues to stare and study him like Makoto had done so just moments before. Those eyes slowly scan everything as if he would miss so much information if he overlooks one specific detail. They are so intense and Makoto suddenly remembers of the night they first met and how Nanase had studied him.

Deciding that it was time Makoto closed his book and set it aside by his roommate's sketchbook he smiled, "Taking a break?"

Makoto looks at his roommate who has a hint of a blush on his cheeks having realized he had been caught. Makoto smiles and tilts his head closing his eyes as he imagines Nanase turning his head to hide the blush. Makoto imagines the man clicking his tongue but no sounds came. He probably does it in his head.

"Let's go to that bakery you promised earlier, "his roommate announces stretching a bit before standing up, "We both need a break."

Makoto hummed in agreement and stood up grabbing his wallet and putting on his shoes before turning to Nanase who was already at the door waiting for him.

Approaching the street of the bakery Makoto could smell the sweets and baked goods from the place already. He smiled knowing how much Nanase would enjoy the place. He has seen the man flipping through cook books lovingly gazing at all the pictures of the foods to make in the kitchen late at night. Makoto had seen him especially pause at pages with pastries like brownies or cakepops and he would  lick his lips in an absent minded way as he studies the photograph before his eyes start to darken and he turns the page with a slight sigh. He didn't take Nanase as the type for sweets but if he seemed to like to look up recipes for baking then he'll most certainly enjoy a bakery.

Makoto glances at Haru who has a content face and eyes indicating he was excited. Makoto smiles at the sight and continues to lead him to the place of interest.

The bakery resided at the corner of a street almost hidden by the hotel next to it. The building was in a pale blue color standing out from the rest of the surrounding buildings. Nanase's face lightened up as if he was surprised that the place actually existed.

"C'mon, " Makoto's hand curled lightly around his roommate's wrist as he tugs on it softly, "It's better inside."

Makoto smiled shyly as he opened the door and led them inside. Immediately Nanase's eyes widened and began to have that distant sparkle that resembled his eyes while he sketched.

The bakery had light pastel colors of everything and was relatively small with a seating area by the windows. By the cash register, attended by a young red-haired girl, was aisles of displays of baked goods from macaroons to cookies to cakepops and cupcakes. Immediately Makoto let go of Nanase, forgetting that he had brought him, to examine the pastries.

Makoto's eyes immediately fell on the chocolate section. He had an unexplained weakness for them and would do anything for them. Especially since the chocolate in earlier centuries were not as tasty as they were in modern day. He hears a soft giggle and sees the red-haired girl behind the display smiling. Her teeth were a bit pointy but nothing like Rin's. 

"You should try our chocolate cheesecake if you like chocolate. We just added it to our menu today," the girl offered before saying in a lower voice, "even though it defeats the purpose of a bakery."

Makoto nods and points at the brownies too which the girl takes as well. She states the price and before Makoto brings out his wallet he remembers that he had brought his roommate along. He turns around scanning the place to look for him and finds Nanase staring at the macaroons.

"Nanase have you found something?"

The stoic man turns around and nods his eyes going back to their usual disinterested expression. Makoto turns back to the girl as he points at Nanase.

"I'm paying for whatever he wants as well."

"You didn't have to pay for my stuff, " Nanase protests once the two men sit down at their table to eat.

"But I wanted too!" Makoto responded blushing as he takes a bite of his brownie, "It's your first time here of course."

Nanase's blue eyes snapped at Makoto with a glint of annoyance but his cheeks were starting to color and he turned away to face the street taking a bite of one of his macaroons as he mumbles, "I could have paid for it myself."

Makoto smiled, "I know Nanase."

Just then the red-haired girl appears with two cups of coffee and places them on the table.

"Ah we didn't-

"Consider it on the house," she cuts off Makoto and places a hand on Nanase's shoulder, "Enjoy your date!"

"Ah but we're not-"

The girl cuts off Makoto's words again with a subtle wink turning Makoto's face red. Nanase suppresses a laugh as Makoto averts his eyes from his roommate.

"This is not a date," Even though Makoto knew that he felt his heart skip a beat thinking about it.

"Of course."

That was the case. They aren't soulmates and neither are Soulless. And yet it still hurt a bit as Nanase confirms it. He sees the raven haired man nibbling on a blue colored macaroon gazing into the street watching as others pass by on the street. The ringing of bells indicates another customer has walked in. Makoto smiles examining his roommate when Nanase turns. Those piercing blue eyes meeting the green ones Makoto has. Nanase lifts a brown macaroon.

"Want one?" he prompts, "It's chocolate flavored."

"You sure you want me to have one?"

He nodded, "You paid for it anyways."

"I guess you're right," Makoto laughs.

Nanase offers it to Makoto and Makoto holds out his hand where Nanase swiftly drops it and Makoto takes a bite. The blue eyes blinked and glimmered in curiosity as Makoto tastes it.

"It's really good Nanase," Makoto laughs and Nanase's expression softens into a smile.

"Can I try it?"

Makoto holds it out and Haru leans forward to take a bite directly from Makoto. Makoto blushes a bit in realization of the bold move his roommate made but quickly hides it by taking a drink of the coffee the girl had gave them.

"You're right, it's good," Nanase confirms with a straight face indicating he thought nothing of the gesture if it weren't for the pink that was slowly spreading across his pale face.

"Do you want more?"

Makoto offers the macaroon again and his companion leans forward to take a bite of the dessert. They're both blushing too wrapped up in their thoughts to notice the other. Makoto feels like he might just die if he turns his head and catches the girl from earlier staring. No he'll disintegrate into ashes and be taken away by the wind if she does or says  _ anything _ .

But the moment is brief and it ends just as quickly as it starts, Nanase chewing on it with a satisfied expression.

"You really like the macaroon don't you Nanase?"

"Haru."

Makoto blinked in confusion and his companion turns to him an unfamiliar expression written on his face.

"Call me Haru," he insists and Makoto blinks again in surprise before he smiles and hums his cheeks getting a little warm.

"Okay call me Makoto then," Makoto responds and finishes off the macaroon himself, "Would you like to try this cheesecake with me Haru?"

Haru's eyes glisten in surprise and Makoto can confirm after knowing him for a month that yes, Haru is the most beautiful and perfect human to ever exist.

"Yeah."

He lifts his fork and Haru happily obliges to take a bite.

And it just so happens that he is his roommate.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I lazily edited it so I'm sorry for any mistakes.  
> Chapter 5 will be out before New Years hopefully, I've already finished it I just need to edit it.


	5. Leaves in the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> September 5, 2016: Rin visits Makoto's apartment for dinner before he returns to Japan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy! Happy New Year! I'm sure somewhere in this world it's already December 31st?
> 
> I don't ship Rinharu romantically but I confuse so many people because I have a weak spot for their bromance. I don't see anything wrong with it either if you ship it that's cool I'm just so deep in the Makoharu abyss it'll take centuries to retrieve me out of it :')
> 
> Anyways hope you like the chapter! :D

Haru sighs in frustration, tempted to pull on his hair if it weren't for his paint-covered hands, staring at his project. The painting was supposed to be of something that inspired Haru but...

Will people understand this?

He groans and sets down the paintbrush and heads to the kitchen to wash his hands. According to the schedule, Makoto should be leaving his last class of the day soon which gives Haru about 30 minutes to clear the living room of all of his paintings before Makoto sees this mess. After his last roommate he did not want to make a mess all the time. He grabs the painting and sets it by the window to dry. Haru then grabs the paintbrushes and cups and puts them in the sink to wash. After washing those, Haru grabs his laptop and books that he had out for references and puts them on his desk in his bedroom. Putting his easel back to it's original place Haru heads to his bathroom to take a bath. While filling the tub with hot water, the black haired man strips and grabs his box. Occasionally Haru would buy bath bombs that he found nice and use them. Since he doesn't use them all the time he has a box by his tub filled with all the bath bombs he's ever bought. Today he had a purple one and smiled as he dropped it in the tub as he climbed inside as well. The scent of lavender hit him and Haru's nose twitched a bit because of how strong it was. He closes his eyes however and rests his back against the side of the tub.

Suddenly memories of that one Sunday come into mind. The part when Makoto takes Haru to that bakery. How Makoto offers to him whatever he liked. Haru wasn't a fan of sweets but since Makoto had looked so excited he decided he might as well try something. And then Makoto just  _ had _ to pay for it too. He had to admit he was going to jokingly agree with the girl when she said they were on a date but Makoto looked ready to leave so he chose not to say anything. If you saw the man's face you would want to cheer him up too. So he offered his roommate the first macaroon he picked up. It was chocolate flavored so of course Makoto would love it but he didn't expect Makoto to offer it to him  _ back _ . It was a nice gesture and Haru was more than glad to accept it than he would probably admit.

And then he remembers when he leaned forward and took a bite. What was wrong him? Why did he do that? He has never acted in that way before. The whole feeling was unfamiliar. It was like he wanted to taunt the poor guy to just see his whole face blush again.

Haru frowns and ducks his head underwater to cool off the heat that was starting to spread across his face. It was worth it though to see Makoto's red face as he realizes what Haru had done. And then suddenly he offers it again and Haru does it again as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Well it wasn't the first time Haru had done it but he hasn't done done it in decades.

" _ Let's start a bakery together in the streets of Paris _ . _ " _

Hearing that voice Haru sits up and lifts his head out of the water before he decides to drown himself in it. That's it. This bath is obviously not helping. He lifts himself out regretful that the water hadn't even cooled yet and began draining the tub. 

He was already in his shorts drying his hair when he heard the apartment door open indicating that his roommate had arrived. From his position in the room Haru can hear Makoto sighing and the rustling of objects being moved around. Grabbing a shirt and hastily putting it on he left his room to greet his roommate.

"Welcome back," Haru says going over to the fridge to get something to eat. Grabbing an apple he continues, "How was your day?"

"Tiring," Makoto responds with a sigh, "I have a paper due next week in Literary Analysis and the professor wanted to see what we all had. When he reviewed mine he said that my paper had great themes but I lacked acknowledging the darker aspects."

"Did you find someone to help you?" Haru asked turning to his roommate.

Makoto smiled assuring Haru that everything was okay, "Yeah Tony from class helped me actually."

Haru had the urge to smile in relief. He has been getting the urge to do it a lot lately.

"I'm glad you have such a nice friend to help you with everything."

"Yeah Tony is a pretty great friend," Makoto's eyes wander into thought as if he was reminiscing in a memor.

The soft smile spreading on his face makes Haru's heart sink for a second. He has never seen such a soft expression on the brunet's face before. Haru wants to be able to make Makoto smile like that when he talks about Haru. The black-haired man shakes his head. Envy will get him nowhere in life.

Suddenly Makoto's phone rang and Makoto smiled apologetically as he answered. Haru took a bite of his apple turning to check on his painting in the living room. Half-way there he paused and looked back at Makoto who was animatedly talking. All of his friends that he had spoken to on the phone before only spoke English. So why was Makoto talking in Japanese...

"Yeah that sounds nice. Yes he's fine with it. Eight?" Makoto glances at the clock on the wall to check the time, "It's fine. Okay great I'll see you later." Hanging up he turns to Haru, "A close friend of mine just called and says he wants to have dinner one last time before he returns to Japan."

"Okay," Haru nods and he turns to check on his painting again, "When is he coming?"

"At eight."

"Okay have fun," Haru smiles at the thought of finally being able to have mackerel without someone chastising him.

"No Haru, I don't think you understand."

"Hm?"

"He's coming over."

The eldest man on earth suppressed a laugh. He forgot how childish Makoto can seem even though he was hundreds of years old, "And I assume you're cooking right?"

"Haru! You know I can't!"

This time Haru laughed a little looking at Makoto's face that reminded him of a confused puppy, "Don't worry I'll handle it."

"Thank you Haru!" Makoto's face lit up immediately and he smiled that one smile that always ended with the brunet tilting his head and closing his eyes which made Haru's heart go wild.

"It's nothing really..." Haru blushed and turned again to his painting checking to see if it had dried.

Changing the subject Makoto came behind him to look at the painting.

"Oh Haru is this the project you were working on when I left?"

Haru nods taking a bite of his apple and Makoto laughs.

"Amazing as ever Haru."

Haru can hear Makoto moving away but he doesn't want his roommate to. He wants Makoto to stay. 

"Makoto," Haru says softly that he wonders if it is even audible, "Do you even... know what it is?"

"It's what inspires you right?"

Haru doesn't answer, choosing to continue eating his apple instead, as he steps back behind Haru. The older man tenses as he can feel Makoto's breath on his neck as he whispers, "Is this what inspires you?"

Haru's face by now is probably the reddest it has ever been in his life he could feel himself slowly dying as Makoto leans over Haru to point at the picture. The painting was of a peaceful ocean the sky reflecting its clouds unto the surface and the sun glisten in certain aspects. From a glance the painting could be mistaken as an actual photograph. The first thing that Makoto points to is the sky.

"The sky can represent wondering and anticipation, " Makoto explains, "It could also represent the future, outlooks and change."

Haru wonders why Makoto talks about the sky when he knows that his roommate did not paint something to focus on the sky. 

"The sky is you, reflecting off of the ocean."

Haru blinks. He wasn't expecting Makoto to point out such a thing.

"And the ocean represents many things depending on it's current state but you have the ocean calm so it represents nature, and the subconscious."

Haru is still staring at the painting refusing to turn around and feels like he is see-through, his whole being exposed to a man he has known for a little over two months. Without even turning around to look at the man behind him he knows that Makoto is smiling that smile when he is proud of something with those dreamy eyes darkening into unknown territory that Haru has yet to explore.

"Do I understand what inspires you Haru?"

Haru remains silent, mouth too dry to speak.

"Well Haru, you see, what inspires you is the soul."

-

"Makoto."

For a second he thought he was imaging things because the voice was so quiet but then in a louder voice "Do you even...know what it is?"

He should have just said from his spot just told him what he thought but something came over him and he had the urge to go back to where the shorter man stood. He's so close to his roommate he wondered how Haru didn't push him away. What's wrong with him? Why is he like this?

He points at the sky and begins explaining, using his knowledge of symbolism from literature. He wonders how Haru did not say anything until the very end. 

"Well Haru, you see, what inspires you is the soul."

Makoto starts to walk away the embarrassment of what he had done taking over when he feels a soft hand grab his wrist. 

"Thank you," Haru whispers and lets go only glancing at the brunet from the corner of his eye. 

Makoto is blushing feverishly and he nods walking away his wrist burning from the contact seconds before. This has never happened before. Why does Haru's touch burn him? Why does he keep on wanting to be with Haru? Why him?

He doesn't know. It hurts his head just trying to figure it out.

\- 

Haru is cooking while Makoto sets the table adding an extra plate for the guest coming over. Makoto's friend was expected to come any minute now and Haru waited in anticipation for the friend. The friend was obviously another Japanese person which was always great to find in a country that was dominated by one race despite it being one of the most diverse in the world. He could tell Makoto was nervous and he tried to calm him by putting his hand on his shoulder and smiling a bit. However the sudden touch made his hand burn and he couldn't concentrate as much on his cooking as he normally would. 

He had just set down the last of the food he had prepared on the table when the doorbell rang and Makoto went to get it. As that happened Haru took off his apron and fixed the collar of his shirt. The man then walks to greet the guest. 

Makoto's friend was just a little bit taller than Haru with a familiar shade of red hair and red eyes. He had a grin that showed the sharp teeth he had and eyes that looked ready to pounce on anything. In just two seconds of seeing him Haru could conclude what the guy was like. A narcissistic asshole.  

The guy smiles upon seeing Haru who internally groans as the guy's eyes sparkle with fascination.

"So this is the infamous Haru huh?" the man glances at Makoto who just nods, "I finally get to see what he's like!"

Haru cringes at the word "infamous" having been referred to that many times as he was the oldest man on earth. 

"I'm Rin Matsuoka," he holds out his hand and Haru shakes it, "Makoto's friend."

"Haruka Nanase," Haru replies, "Please call me Nanase."

"But doesn't Makoto call you Haru?"

"He does cause he's allowed to unlike you."

"Well aren't I fucked then," Rin takes off his jacket and hands it to Makoto to put it on the coat rack, "Whatever though do as you please Har I mean Nanase."

"Rin! Language!" Makoto chastises.

Apparently Makoto's motherly attitude applies to everybody. 

They settle at the table and begin eating the dinner Haru had made while Rin and Makoto chatted among themselves. Haru quietly watched them as he ate. Makoto must have noticed that he was leaving Haru out though because he suddenly heard his name.

"Ah Haru, Rin is an Olympic swimmer for Japan."

Haru's blue eyed rested on the subject but he said nothing.

"He's actually one of the best," Makoto giggled, "Ten times gold medalist in the fly."

"Makoto! You're being too nice!" Rin is blushing now and Haru narrows his eyes in thought.

Could it...be? Haru's heart sinks a bit thinking of the possibility...

"Ah and Rin's boyfriend Sousuke is one of the best coaches around," Makoto continued despite Rin's protests, "Only he can rival Rin at swimming."

Haru relaxes, not knowing he was tense before, at the mention of Rin's boyfriend.

"That's bullshit and you know it," Rin retorts, "Last time we raced I won!"

"I bet I can rival too," Haru adds, "I swim regularly at my college's pool. I only swim free but the coaches there wanted me to join the team. Would've done it if it weren't for the fact that I need to focus on my studies."

"A swimmer huh?" Rin flashes a grin at Haru, "We gotta race sometime maybe in the winter when I come back from training how about it?"

"Guys Rin is a professional do you really think this is a good i-

"Fine by me."

"Haru!"

Rin smirked and took a bite of his meal, "Makoto you need to stop babysitting all your friends people will think you have nothing better to do."

"Rin!"

"Damn this meal is really good!" the red-head changes the subject, "What restaurant did you guys order from?"

Makoto looks at Rin with wide eyes and starts to blush looking away from everyone, "Actually..."

"I cooked it," Haru finishes for his roommate and Rin snaps his head in surprise.

"Fuck," Rin looks at Haru with a shocked expression before he begins to laugh, "No wonder Makoto admires you so much you have it all in the bag!"

This time Haru blushes a bit. Does Makoto actually talk about him? He remembers earlier his expression when thinking about Tony and he wonders if that is what Makoto looks like when he talks about Haru.

"That's adorable," Rin teases, "The two of you are so embarrassed it makes me think you're meant to be."

Meant to be? What the hell does that mean?

"Rin I think that's enough," Makoto's red face is starting to pale and Rin smiles an apologetic-but-really-not smile at his friend.

"Okay, okay chill I was only joking," Rin lifts his hand in defeat, "Geez... Nanase does he act like this all the time still?"

Haru nods in confirmation, "He once tried to throw away my stash of cans of mackerel."

"Because it's unhealthy to be eating that all the time! Haru you're going to get mercury poisoning one day!" 

"I'll be fine I've eaten it for hundreds of years."

Makoto turns to Rin, "It's all he eats if I'm not around."

Rin rolls his eyes, "For once I have to side with Mamakoto here. Having only fish for centuries is fucking weird."

"Language!"

"I didn't only eat fish for centuries though..."

"Oh really? Prove it."

"Are you fucking kidding me how do I prove that?"

"Haru you too!"

Haru rolls his eyes at Makoto, "I don't know how long you've known him but how do you stand his motherly nature?"

Rin laughs, "You don't."

At this point Makoto is just dying from embarrassment and Haru decides to have it stopped before Makoto faints. He quickly changes the subject to something more trivial and the craziness dies out apart from the casual Rin teasing. At the end of the dinner Rin comes up to Haru as Makoto washes the dishes.

"Now I've known Makoto for hundreds of years and I'm very protective over him, "Rin says with a soft voice, "He's big and can appear intimidating  but he's so caring and gentle that I'm scared that one day somebody is going to harm him so bad he's going to be broken."

Haru glances at Rin who has the saddest expression on his face, "He is going through some tough times inside of his head and he needs more support than he's letting me give. And now I won't be able to see him until the winter because of training and I just..."

Rin bites his lip and Haru wonders how his lip isn't bleeding from the sharp teeth.

"I need to be here for him. He needs me."

"It's not your fault," Haru tries to comfort the emotional man, "It's just life."

Rin nods, "I know. It's not fair."

Haru turns his head to look at Makoto who had his back towards him too busy washing the dishes to be with them. His heart feels like shattering into a million pieces as he thinks about the fact that Makoto needs somebody and there is nobody for him. No, Haru thinks to himself, he does have someone.

"I'm here for him," Haru says out loud in a soft voice unaware he was talking.

He feels a hand on over his and he turns to Rin who is looking at him like he is the last hope for humanity. There's a tear that's threatening to escape his eyes and Haru realizes how worried Rin truly is.

"Please whatever you do...promise me you won't hurt him."

Haru has been a alive for a millennium and he knows better than anyone else from every book he read, every movie he has watched and personal experiences he had that promises do not last forever. One would think by now he would learn that making promises only creates trouble in the future. However...

Haru nods and places his hand over Rin, "I promise."

For Makoto he's willing to make an exception. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lazily edited the chapter as always so I apologize for any mistakes.  
> Starting tomorrow I'm going to be pretty busy I'll try to update weekly probably every Saturday or Sunday but please don't get mad if I miss it :')  
> Chapter 6 is done so I might upload it either Saturday or Sunday.


	6. Colors of the Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> October 15, 2016: Makoto and Haruka meet their new neighbors and Makoto discovers something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank Andrea for being my beta :D  
> I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Rin remembers the day he met his soulmate. It was, without a doubt, the most important day of his life. He’d sooner die if he so much as forgot a single detail about the day he realized he’ll never be the same.

It was the summer of 2013 and Rin was having practice with the rest of the national team, when one of the team's managers came in to announce something. "Alright everybody gather around!" She called out, waiting for the team to gather. 

Rin along with the rest of the team had lined up to face the manager who simply giggled.  
"Don't worry, nobody is being punished," she assured the crowd. "In fact, I have an exciting announcement! We have somebody new joining our team today!"

The new member standing behind the manager raised a hand to wave, keeping his expression neutral. The man turned towards Rin and he suddenly felt like he was floating on air. All Rin could see were those teal eyes staring right back at him. It felt as if the whole world was gray before he laid eyes on him. 

Rin figured the man must be going through the same thing because he too seemed to be frozen, staring at him. After a few seconds, the man smirked at Rin, snapping him out of his daze.

"Yamazaki Sousuke swims the fly and was nationally in the top ten for the high school level last year..." 

He knew from that moment on that Sousuke was something special to him.

Right after practice, Rin saw Sousuke smiling at him near the exit of the gym. His heart began to race in anticipation. Was he going to ask him out? What was he going to do? Well, stupid, he thought to himself, just be yourself. Rin continued to walk until he was standing right by the man that had been eyeing him (Rin would deny it, but he too had been staring) since the moment they laid eyes on each other. 

"Were you waiting for me?" Rin asked.

Sousuke laughed. "And if I was?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, I just want to ask you out." Sousuke smiled mischievously.

Rin scoffed and punched his companion in the shoulder. "You are mocking me!"

"Great, I got a moody soulmate," Sousuke sighed and rubbed his shoulder, a soft smile on his face."I guess I deserved that though."

"You deserve me or that punch?" Rin asked, smirking smugly.

"Both," Sousuke answers, biting his lip to keep himself from grinning. "Now about that date..."  
"You’re so sure I'm gonna say yes," Rin mused, huffing his chest to make himself look bigger even though Sousuke was not only taller, but broader than the red-head.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Sousuke says. "Your answer?"

"Fuck you."

"Don't you think this is going too fast? We haven't even gone on our first date yet."

Rin smiled, punching Sousuke's shoulder again. "You fucker."

"Now you're sounding desperate--”

Rin grabbed Sousuke’s collar and brought Sousuke’s lips to his own. That was how their first kiss happened. Rin just trying to shut up this asshole who makes his heart go crazy for the sake of his sanity. It’s an inexperienced kiss, their noses bumping into each other briefly. Sousuke must have been thrown off because he doesn’t kiss Rin back until a few seconds have passed. It felt like a competition to see who would be the first one to take the next step. 

Sousuke pushed his tongue against Rin’s, asking for permission. Rin accepted the request. The kiss ended with both of them holding onto each other, breathless, wanting to lean in and kiss each other senseless again.

"Is that a yes?" Sousuke says after a few seconds, those teal eyes blinking as if he was having trouble processing what had just happened.

"You're a sloth, of course it's a yes."

It's been three years ever since that day and Rin still remembers like it was yesterday. He walked into his room and sees his boyfriend waiting for him on the couch, watching a movie. Rin tears off his jacket and shoes, climbing onto the couch where Sousuke wraps an arm around Rin's shoulder and kisses him.

"How was it?"

"Good. The place is nice and his roommate cooked probably one of the best meals I've ever had."

Sousuke smiled. "Are you saying a guy you just met has better cooking than me?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying you asshole."

Another kiss.

"And Makoto? Do you think he'll be alright?"

"I'm really worried about him. I’ve known him for centuries. I'm scared he's going to lock himself up if nobody helps him soon," Rin buries his head in his soulmate's shoulder and kisses it lightly. "I...I don't want to leave him."

"I know." Sousuke's hand is on Rin's head, brushing his red hair to soothe him. "But we have duties to attend to." He stops for second as if in thought but quickly resumes, "Can't we get someone to look out for him at least?"

"I talked to his roommate about it without revealing too much. Nanase seemed really worried about him too. Even if he had only known him for two months, it actually kind of reminds me of..."

"Of what?"

Rin waved him off. "Nothing important. At the moment, all that matters is that Nanase says he cares." He sighed. 

"And for some crazy reason, even if I just met him, I believe him."  
-  
Haru smiled as he walked out of his last class of the day and into the chilly October afternoon. He adjusted his sweatshirt and walked animatedly down campus.

"Nanase! Wait up!" He hears someone yell behind him, turning around and to see Erica running towards him. Eventually she catches up, taking a deep breath. "Ha, geez Nanase, I thought I lost you. I know you hate Graphic Design but you don't need to bolt out of class like that."

Haru frowned at Erica but doesn't say anything, knowing she'll say something eventually.

"Anyways, me and the girls are going out next Saturday afternoon and I need to pick a place. Do you recommend any cafes or bakeries or--”

"There's one down on main street that my roommate took me to a few months back," Haru offers. "It's a little secluded so it's hard to find without someone guiding you. When is your next class?"

"Not for another three hours. Show me the way boy!" Erica grabbed Haru's wrists and pulled him out of the campus. 

Upon arriving at the bakery, Erica jumped around in excitement, examining all the aisles filled with the pastries.

"Oh my god Nanase, this place is perfect!" The blonde girl hugs the black haired man repeatedly screaming thank yous.

Haru smiled, not wanting to ruin the moment by calling her out on her loudness. "Thank Makoto, he was the one who brought me here."

Erica smiled. "I'll make sure to do that when I see him then."

Erica then proceeded to check out what was available as Haru glanced around, and saw the red-haired girl again working the counter. She was busy wiping it down, so she didn’t immediately notice Haru. When the girl looked up and saw him, she smiled and waved, and motioned for him to come closer. He suddenly understood why Rin looked so familiar. He walked up to her, offering a small smile in greeting.

"Hey! I haven't seen you since the time Makoto brought you here," she smiled. "I was wondering when he was going to bring you back."

"What do you mean?"

"He comes by often to buy chocolates and we get into conversations. I keep on trying to bring our subjects to 'Hey remember me? I was Rin's little sister who stayed in Japan and haven't seen him in almost 400 years because of the Isolation period. I was wondering if you have seen him recently?’ But he always leaves after mentioning you."  
Haru blushed. "He… mentions me?"

"I mean yeah, that's what boyfriends do," the red-haired girl sighs but notices Haru's face. "Oh, you two aren't?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The girl sighs. "He likes you a lot, I can tell. I'm Kou, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Kou. You said you're Rin's little sister?" 

Kou's red eyes widened. Although she looked like him, her expressions were a lot softer and daintier compared to Rin's confident attitude. Haru regretted thinking the guy was a narcissistic asshole when he first met him because he turned out to be a pretty cool guy. He could also tell he was a great older brother by the way Kou was so desperately looking for him.

"You know Rin?"

"Not really I only had dinner with him once, being Makoto's roommate, but I know Makoto can contact him if I tell him."

Kou smiled, revealing pointy teeth that weren't as sharp like Rin's, looking quite normal from afar.  
The trait must run in the Matsuoka family. 

"Thank you Haru." She handed him a bag that smelled like vanilla. "On the house."  
-  
It was Saturday morning and Makoto had just finished breakfast when he and Haru had decided to work on finishing on assembling the gift basket. The other day they saw a couple move into the apartment next to theirs, and they both wanted to welcome them to the neighborhood. The gift basket consisted of some cookies the two had baked together and cake pops that they had bought from their favorite bakery.

"Do you think they'll like the gift?" Makoto asked Haru, who was resting his hand on his roommate's hand. He gave it a small a squeeze in response. 

This far along, Makoto thinks he has gotten used to all of Haru's expressions and emotions and the sentences he can form by simple gestures. Like now, with that simple squeeze, he knew that Haru was reassuring him that everything was going to be fine. 

"I think it's ready. Did you check to see if they're home right now?"

Haru nodded and grabbed the basket, his blue eyes meeting Makoto’s jade ones. "Let's go."  
They rang the doorbell to their neighbor's apartment and waited a few moments, before being greeted by a tall girl with long silky black hair and gray stormy eyes.

"Oh, are you one of our neighbors?" She smiled, a strong Irish lilt lacing her words.

When both men nodded, she opened the door and invited them inside. "Sophia, we have guests!"  
The Irish girl took the gift from Haru sets it unto the counter. "I'm Donna, by the way."  
"Makoto." He holds out his hand and Donna shakes it. "And this is Haru."

"Nice to meet you," Haru responds.

Donna smiled as another tall girl with short brown hair and brown eyes walks in and kisses her on the cheek. Makoto could see that the newcomer had a lot of tattoos and a few piercings on her ear. The newcomer waved at the two men. "Hi, I'm Sophia."

"I'm Makoto and this is Haru."

"Hi..."

"It's nice to know that there is another young couple living in this complex," Donna says. "We should all go out and drink sometime."

"Ah, Donna," Makoto blushed while Haru blinked in confusion, "we're not soulmates, we’re just roommates actually..."

"Oh I see," Sophia laughed. "Sorry for the assumption, it’s just that the two of you seem really close. We still insist on going out for some fun sometime though."

"Of course. I'm glad you two have each other as soulmates." 

"Oh, we're not soulmates," Sophia corrects. "We chose each other."

Makoto almost freezes. If they weren't soulmates that could only mean that they were both Soulless. He has just about a month left until he becomes a Soulless too. He looked at the two girls and wondered if he could ever find someone who can love him like that, or more so, if he could love someone that wasn't his soulmate. He looked at Haru who was smiling softly at the couple and suddenly realized something important. If he was Soulless, he wouldn't mind being with Haru. He wouldn't mind being a Soulless if it meant that he can be with Haru. He suddenly realized that he wishes he can be with Haru, not even as a Soulless, but just… as he is. Then it dawned unto him.

I'm in love with Haru.  
-  
Haru woke up to the sound of moaning and he panicked for a second, thinking there was somebody in his room. He relaxed when he noticed that the sounds were coming from the other side of the wall. A few seconds later, he mentally slapped himself in realization. It was Donna and Sophia’s bedroom… and they were having sex.

Thinking that it would end soon, Haru used his pillow to cover his ears and attempted to fall back asleep. Much to his chagrin, they didn't stop. Haru frowned and buried himself in the sheets to drown out the sound, but failed. He doesn't know how long he's been trying to go back to sleep, but he wanted to wake up early the next day to go and swim in the pool at the college before the team came to practice. At this rate, he isn't going to get any sleep. He didn’t want to sleep on the couch either, knowing he was going to wake up with a sore body. Sighing in defeat, he gets up to go to the couch when he remembered he doesn't live alone. He could go to Makoto's room and ask to sleep in it.

The thought of being in close proximity to his roommate in such an intimate way made his heart race and ears burn. Even just imagining Makoto's body pressed against his and his strong arms brushing against his own, or even... Haru shook his head, trying to get those images out of his mind. Weird thoughts like those never lead to good consequences.

Haru got out of his bed, wrapped his blankets around himself, and made his way across the apartment to Makoto's bedroom. When he walked in, he saw the brunette sleeping peacefully, his brown hair a mess on pillows as his chest slowly rose and fell. He stayed like that, studying his roommate, remembering from the day they met that he had always thought Makoto was gorgeous. But at that moment, Haru realized that he is the most beautiful person in the world. He didn’t want to wake Makoto up, but he had to. 

Haru came up to the side of the bed and placed a shy hand on Makoto's shoulder, lightly nudging it as he called the man's name. Makoto's face crumpled slightly as he opened his eyes slowly and lazily, studying Haru with those dreamy green eyes. He whispered Haru's name like a question and Haru nodded. Makoto snapped out of his daze and sat up in realization.

"Haru?!" Makoto asked, his voice squeaking a bit. "What are you doing here?"

"The neighbors are taking too long in their sex session and I need my sleep, so I was thinking maybe I could sleep with you?"

Makoto sighed as if he was going to chastise Haru, but he scooted over and left enough room for Haru to crawl in. The shorter male whispered a quick thanks before crawling onto the bed next to his roommate. As he had imagined, he could feel Makoto's body against his, and he wasn't sure if his face was hot because of that or if it was because of the heat radiating off of the taller male. Either way, Haru has never felt this cozy in bed.

Their backs were facing each other, but Haru knew that Makoto was still wide awake, lost in his thoughts. He heard the bed creak and felt the mattress moving as Makoto turned to face Haru. Haru turned as well to face his companion.

"What's so important tomorrow that you couldn't sleep on the couch?" Makoto asked with a lazy smile, his eyelids slowly beginning to flutter. 

"Going swimming."

"Is that so? I'll join you."

"Okay."

There's a comfortable silence going on between them as they study each other in the dark. Haru's heart pounded like crazy and he felt like he might die if this continued. He's so confused, wondering why this was happening to him. What was it about Makoto that made him feel this way? Why? Why does he feel like his heart was being thrown all over the place whenever the gentle man with green eyes and polite smile appeared in his head? What could possibly be the answer to question Haru has been asking repeatedly inside his head for weeks now?

What was Makoto to him?

Makoto yawns suddenly, bringing Haru out of his thoughts. Makoto's hand reaches out to Haru's, feeling his roommate's thumb and caressed it as he whispered, "Goodnight Haru."

Makoto didn't let go of Haru's hand, still caressing it with his thumb. Haru smiled and closed his eyes too.

"Yeah."

That night would go down in history as the best sleep Haru has ever had.  
-  
This was a mistake. Letting Haru into his bed with him. Sleeping together. He should have given the bed to Haru and just took the couch or even the bed in Haru's room or just anywhere but in the same bed as Haru. With the discomfort he decided to shift, facing Haru as he did so. Another mistake.  
Now those sapphire eyes that belonged to the man he had just realized he was in love with were staring right at him. They dazzled but were clouded, lost in thought. It was an exotic sight to see and it made Makoto's heart ache. He wanted to reach out and caress his face and kiss him softly, but he knew couldn't do that. They weren't soulmates. Haru wasn't a Soulless and Makoto had yet to be one, even if he didn't want to be one. They were just roommates. And it hurt him.

He took Haru's hand in his, wishing that he could kiss him. He doesn't know what's coming out of his mouth, he just wanted to listen to Haru's sleepy voice. He caressed the hand with a thumb and doesn't let go, afraid that Haru would slip away from him if he does.

With Haru's hand still in his, Makoto fell asleep and had a dream where soulmates didn't exist and he could be with Haru for eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I have a beta now I'm going to take longer to update sorry :') but on the bright side my writing will be better!  
> I will try not to take more than two weeks to update the next chapter since it's almost done but no promises...


	7. Soulless Among Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> November 17, 2016: Makoto's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet everybody has forgotten this existed by now but hey new chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it!

Makoto's birthday fell on a Thursday in 2016. Unfortunately for him, he had classes on that day. His classmates would come up to him and wish him a happy birthday, while a few of those he was closer to had given him presents. He appreciated the greetings and the gifts, but all he wanted was to just get out of class.

As Makoto left his last class for the day, he noticed a familiar figure waiting for him. He could recognize the blue jacket and white scarf anywhere; it could only be Haru. His heart rate sped up as he walked toward his roommate to greet him. Haru's classes for the day ended hours ago... which only meant he was there for Makoto.

At the thought of that, Makoto smiled even wider as he approached the shorter man. "Hey Haru."

The blue eyes of his roommate crinkled in an emotion that Makoto still hasn't been able to decipher. A small smile appeared on Haru’s face as he says, "Happy Birthday Makoto."

They quickly fell into step as they walked out of the campus. Before Makoto took the turn to the bus stop, Haru grabbed Makoto's hand.

"Haru, aren't we--”

"The place isn't ready yet, so I'm taking you to the bakery for a bit until they say we can come."

"Oh uh, okay."

They arrived at the bakery and Kou waved at them, already preparing the things the pair always get when they come in. They took their usual spot by the window, and Makoto smiled as Kou handed them their coffee.

"Thank you, Kou."

Kou placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head, a smirk on her lips. "How's the birthday boy doing?"

Makoto blushed but hid it using the coffee cup. "Great."

Kou turned toward Haru. "I have work until 5, unfortunately, so I won't be at the party until at least 6."

"That's fine," Haru responded. "Since you're bringing the cake, you won't miss that part of the party."

Kou laughed. "I guess you're right."

She walked away, her ponytail swaying to the beat of her stride as Makoto watched her, wondering if tonight would be the first time in centuries the Matsuoka siblings see each other. He knew that they have been talking again, but Rin is so busy with his training that he doubts if the two have actually talked to each other in person.

"Makoto," he turned his head to see Haru staring at him as though he was planning something. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Haru did have something in mind, staring at the brownie he held out for him. "Eat."

Makoto nodded and leaned forward to take a bite of the brownie in Haru's hand, smiling. "It's perfect, like usual."

Haru nodded and took a bite of the brownie himself. "I forgot to ask you about your day."

Makoto smiled as he lifted a macaroon for Haru to take a bite out of. "It was okay, nothing really happened."

Haru eyed the gifts peeking out of Makoto's overfilled backpack as he says, "Sure looks like it."

Haru took a bite as Makoto looked at the gifts. "Oh those? Just gifts from classmates."

Haru continued chewing on the macaroon, nodding in agreement. Makoto hears Kou giggling from her spot at the cash register and Haru glared at the red head, his cheeks flushed. There's a buzz and Haru takes his phone out to check who had contacted him.

"That was Rin," Haru confirmed. "He says we can go to the apartment now."

Makoto nodded and began to clean up as Haru grabbed his wrist.

"I'll do it."

"Ah, okay Haru," he gives the black haired man a smile.

Half an hour later they were walking down the hallway that lead to their apartment, when Haru's body suddenly felt too close behind Makoto. Before the brunette can say anything, he spotted hands creeping over his field of vision before it completely blocked it out.

"Haru?! I can't see!"

"That's the point."

"Haru, this isn't a surprise party though! I already know!"

"Doesn't matter." Haru must have leaned closer to Makoto because he can feel Haru's hot breath on his neck as the shorter male spoke. "Rin told me to do it anyway."

"Haru!" Makoto's hands were on his roommate's wrists, trying to pry them off his face. "Get your hands off me!"

"You're so loud," Haru deadpanned. Of course Makoto ends up with the roommate that has hands that are as stubborn as their owner.  
He felt Haru pressing up against him it as he shifted one of his arms to cover Makoto's eyes, hearing Haru fumbling with the keys. He heard the door click and Haru's hands were back over Makoto's eyes. He refused to admit it, but he was a bit disappointed as Haru stepped away from him. Haru guided him into the apartment and uncovered Makoto’s eyes. Makoto blinked momentarily, forgetting that he had guests over.

"Geez Haru why are the lights turned--”

"Happy Birthday Makoto!"

Makoto turned around to see that the lights were back on and saw a group of people were standing, grinning as they popped up from the furniture they were hiding behind. Makoto smiled.

"You guys..."

Rin laughed and turned toward a short blonde man who Makoto assumed was one of the friends Haru had asked to invite. "He usually cries by this point."

The short blonde man laughed. "Hey, Haru-chan! Is this the Mako-chan you like to talk about so much?"

Makoto turned towards Haru, who was currently ignoring his friend’s attempts at jumping on him. Does Haru really talk about him? His birthday had just gotten better. The blonde man gets off of Haru and turned to face Makoto. "I'm Haru-chan's friend Nagisa Hazuki!" Nagisa waved his hand. Was it rude for Makoto to wonder how this man could be hundreds of years old? "I heard you're studying in Literature?"  
"Yes actually..."

"I'm an author myself," Nagisa smiles. "You probably know me by my alias..."

Nagisa leaned over to Makoto's ear and whispered his pseudonym.

"Really?!" the brunette's eyes widened in shock. "You're practically a legend! Oh my god can you tell me about--”

Nagisa smiled shyly, wagging his finger at him in mock disapproval. "Now now Mako-chan, Haru-chan is going to get jealous if you only talk to me."

Makoto laughed. "Okay then."

After placing his jacket on the coat rack, Rin comes up to Makoto, a drink in each hand. He hands one to Makoto and raises the glass in a toast, smiling. "So, how does it feel like to be 500?"

Makoto frowned. "To be honest, I still feel 499."

Rin laughed and swung his arm over his best friend's shoulder. "Alright everybody, let's get this started!"

Makoto began to hear from his stereo music playing. He went around and made small talk with his guests, while Haru and Sousuke left to go to the kitchen and prepare the dinner.

"Dinner is ready," Sousuke gestured to the table while Haru was setting up the last arrangements.

Everybody gathered to take a seat. Makoto was at one end and Rin and Sousuke took the seats next to him; Nagisa and his companion whom Makoto met earlier, Rei, sat by each other, while Haru sat at the other end of the table. They caught each other's stare, Makoto almost frowned, wishing he could be sitting next to the man he was in love with. It was his birthday after all.

The dinner consisted of many different seafoods, from fried fish to sushi. There was even rice with some of the meals. There was also curry, which Makoto found to be a pleasant surprise. He smiled to himself, thanking the chefs; it was probably one of the best meals he's ever had.  
"Hey Sou-chan, can you pass that?" Nagisa pointed at the plate that contained different types of sushi.

The man froze, confused as he glared at the blonde man. "Sou...chan?"

Rin snickered and Sousuke glanced curiously at his boyfriend. Rei blushed and apologized for Nagisa.

"He happens to do it with everyone..." he assured the group and Makoto laughed animatedly.

"Rei-chan, don't be so--”

Rei covered his boyfriend's mouth with his hand and smiled apologetically again, before shooting a glare at Nagisa who simply winked in response. A blushing Rei began to chastise him, but was quickly silenced when Nagisa began indulging in the food again.

A little after dinner Kou had arrived with the cake, and they sang happy birthday to a blushing Makoto.

"Make a wish!" Nagisa says as Makoto leaned over to blow out the candles.

I wish I wasn't Soulless now.

Makoto blew the candle and immediately Rin nudged Makoto to start cutting the cake. Nagisa immediately took the first three plates and walked to the counter. At first, Makoto thought he was going to give one of the plates to Rei, but he ended up eating it all, plus half of Rei's who decided to feed him.

Rin and Sousuke were sitting together as they ate theirs, their legs nudging each other as they talked. Kou was with them too, smiling as Rin turned to her to say something. When she arrived with the cake, Rin cried and hugged her while Kou shyly smiled. He still called her Gou,despite the fact that she insisted on being called Kou.

Makoto doesn't for once mind that there were couples around him. He had Haru, who was sat next to him on the couch. Haru wasn’t a fan of sweets, but he ate a lot of his slice as they talked. The shorter man ended up giving the rest of his piece to Makoto by feeding it to the birthday boy.

They opened gifts and talked and shared stories for a few more hours, before they realized how late it had gotten. The roommates still had classes in the morning, and it was almost 9.

"Bye, Haru-chan!" Nagisa hugged Haru, ignoring his protests not to tackle him, but still ruffled his hair before Nagisa padded over to Makoto.

"Thanks for letting Haru-chan invite us, right Rei-chan?"

Rei nodded, pushing his glasses back. "Happy Birthday, Makoto-san."

Makoto smiled. "I'm glad you guys came. Have a safe trip back to your hotel, okay?"

Kou was the next to leave, hugging Makoto and wishing him a happy birthday.

"Thanks for the cake."

Kou laughed. "Thanks for letting me see him again."

Rin and Sousuke were the last ones to leave, lingering longer than they should have. 

“Rin, we seriously have to go,” Sousuke said while standing at the door, waiting for his boyfriend to do the same.

Rin turned to Makoto, eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Rin lowered his voice so the others couldn’t hear. “I know you’re not in the best mood because of the whole Soulless thing and I don’t want you to… you know.”

Makoto shook his head. “I’m fine, really. Thank you for the concern, but you really need to get going.”

Rin frowned but still complied. “Fine, but just know I’m always here, okay?”

Makoto smiled. “Of course.”

Before he left, Rin turned to Haru and stared at him for a brief second before Haru nodded, saying, “Take care Rin.”

It amazed Makoto that the two have only barely talked to each other since they’ve met, and yet they’re acting like they’ve known each other for years. Had he missed something? 

“You too, Haru,” Rin smiled, showing his pointy teeth and left. 

After everybody had left, Haru closed the door and sighed. Makoto giggled and Haru smiled.

"Did you have fun?" The black-haired man asked.

"Of course," Makoto stretched. "Thank you, Haru."

Haru's smile widened, possibly the biggest it has ever been in his whole life as he grabbed Makoto's wrist. Makoto blushed at the contact but let his roommate pull him away from the door.

"C'mon, I have something for you in your room."

Makoto smiled inwardly, because of course. Ever since that first night in October, the two of them had been frequently sleeping together in Makoto's room.

As they entered the room, Makoto noticed a box wrapped in green with a blue bow on top sitting on the bed. Haru pushed him forward "C'mon, open it."

"Haru, you've already given me that keychain, are you--”

"I wanted to make this one more private," Haru smiled, sitting on the bed as he grabbed the box and placed it on his lap. He held it out to Makoto and he tried not to blush at the thoughts that came into his mind. "Will you open it?" Haru asked.

Makoto took the box and smiled as he sat next to the black-haired man. He pulls out the bow and opened the box. Makoto glared suspiciously at the styrofoam peanuts. He moved them away and found a shimmering black object inside the box, gasping as he took it out.

"We started the Sculptor unit in class so I wanted to give this to you," Haru began with a light blush on his cheeks. "It's the first thing I made..."

It was a painted sculpture of an orca. It was very detailed to the point that Makoto couldn't tell if there were any places that Haru might have messed up. It was smooth too.

"Haru..." Makoto didn't know what to say. "It's beautiful."

He wants to lean closer to Haru's face and have their foreheads touch. He wants to touch Haru's face. He so desperately wants to kiss him.

"Thank you," Makoto turned away, biting his lip. He can't let himself get sad over this. He's Soulless now, so it doesn't matter anymore. He can now find somebody to get over...

Makoto unconsciously closed his fist and grits his teeth. He can taste blood coming out of the small cut from when he bit his lip earlier.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Makoto lied, refusing to look at his roommate in the eye.

Haru nodded and stood up from the bed.

"I'm going to take a bath and go to sleep after."

Makoto nodded.

"Would you... want anything else before that?"

Makoto shook his head and met Haru's eyes. The blue eyes of the black-haired man met jade ones, silently asking one more time if everything was alright.

Makoto smiled half-heartedly and Haru sighed, leaving Makoto's bedroom. Makoto knew he should shower and go to bed too, but his heart was pounding wildly and he could feel his body tensing up. Makoto was permanently glued to his bed as his body shook, holding back the tears that threatened to come out.

I don't want to be Soulless. I don't want to be Soulless. I don't want to be Soulless.  
-  
Haru submerged himself in the bath to clear his mind. It's been a long day and he's usually in bed by this time, so he can feel himself starting to slip into sleep. But as he tries to calm his thoughts, Makoto naturally slips in and he sighs defeatedly.

He knew there was something going on in Makoto's head. Haru has known Makoto long enough to know he wasn't alright. But he knew it wasn’t his business to know if Makoto didn’t want talk about it. As much as he would’ve wanted to involve himself, he didn’t want to seem meddlesome. But that doesn't stop Haru from feeling guilty. He wants to help Makoto, he really does.

The water started to cool and Haru decided it was about time for him to leave, get into his pajamas and go to sleep. He had just pulled on a shirt when he heard a faint sound coming from Makoto’s room. Haru paused and stared at the bedroom door, wondering what Makoto was doing. He turned to open the door and see for himself, but then he stops short on the doorknob when he realized what the noises were.

"He's crying," Haru whispered and he bit his lip, not sure whether he should do something or not.

Haru took a deep breath before he flung the door open and rushed into Makoto's room. He found Makoto sitting on his bed, holding himself as he shook and sobbed. His head was hanging down, but Haru could tell the brunette was crying by the tear stains on his shirt. Haru stood in front of his roommate and put a hand on his cheek. Immediately, Makoto gasped and looked up to see Haru. Those jade eyes were sparkling still filled with tears shock. They quivered as Haru's blue eyes just stared back, expressionless.

"Tell me what's wrong." It comes out more forceful than Haru intended, but the black-haired boy couldn't find it in himself to care at the moment.

"I--" Makoto wiped his face with his hand. "I'm fine."

Haru grits his teeth. "Don't lie to me when we both know that's clearly not the truth."

Makoto's lips opened again in surprise, and Haru realized just how close their faces were. And yet, he wasn't bothered by it at all, moving closer until their foreheads touched. He's aware that he has probably stepped over a line, but he needs to get his point across. Haru closed his eyes and breathes in, taking in the sweet scent of Makoto. He exhaled and whispered, "I'm worried about you. Let me help you."  
There's a moment silence as if Makoto was debating on what he would say. Suddenly, Haru feels Makoto's breath on him as Makoto said softly, "I'm going to be Soulless."

Haru shrugged and pulled his forehead away, only for him to wrap his arms around Makoto. "It's the law. There's nothing you can do about it."

Makoto sighs. "Haru aren't you worried too?"

Haru froze for a moment. "Worried about what?"

"When you turn 500," Makoto explained. "Aren't you scared to become a Soulless too?"

Haru doesn't answer for a few moments, unsure of what to say. He's 1,000 years old and not a U.S. citizen so he didn’t have to worry about Soulless affairs. Given his circumstances, he couldn't possibly understand how much it’s hurting Makoto. And though he couldn't understand the pain, he still felt like his heart was shattering in two because of the state his friend was in.

It's as though a tsunami sized wave hit him when the answer to a question he's constantly been asking himself finally comes.

What was Makoto to him? 

He's his everything.

With that realization, it was as though he suddenly became hyper aware of his surroundings. He felt his heart beginning to pound harder than it ever had in his entire life. The distance between them was suddenly suffocatingly bittersweet.

"Haru?" Makoto’s voice brought Haru back to reality and Haru blushed, realizing he had been quiet far longer than he had originally thought. He hadn’t even answered Makoto’s question.

"Now isn't a good time to talk about that." Haru answered. "It's time to go to bed."

Haru turned to leave, but Makoto's hand gripped his wrist, blue eyes meeting pleading green ones.

"Stay?"

Haru doesn't think he can ever refuse a request from this man. Haru smiles, already climbing into bed with Makoto as he intertwined their fingers. “If you want me to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you can say this is the end of part 1? Chapter 8 is almost done hopefully I won't take forever to complete it. 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! :D


	8. Grateful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> November 24, 2016: Haru comes to a realization and Nagisa dreads his visit to dinner with his sisters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long wait here it is! Enjoy!

Makoto's mouth presses against another person’s as they moved in sync. His hair was being tugged on and he was holding a smaller body in his arms. The person was on his lap and he hears a soft whimper when Makoto lightly bites their lip. He flips the body over until he's hovering over them and kisses his companion's jaw as they claw at his bare back. The brunette's mouth moves down the person’s throat until it's at the base and he kisses harder, hearing his companion gasp in response. Makoto looks up to gaze at the person, and all he sees is blue.

Makoto jerks awake suddenly, opening his eyes abruptly and gasping for air as if he had stopped breathing. He pants as he sits up, his heart still hammering in his chest. Running a hand through his hair, he lays down on his bed again and he reaches out to his nightstand to check the time on his phone, but his hand catches nothing but air. He looks at the unfamiliar ceiling and blinks a few times in confusion, the heat from his dream still in his head. Why isn't he in his room?

"Onii-chan?" There's a soft knock on the door and Makoto turns to it uncomfortably. It was his little sister Ran's voice. "Are you awake?"

Suddenly, he remembered where he was. It's the guest room of Ren's house in London, he thinks to himself. He turns to the other side and spots the nightstand with his phone on it. He grabs it and checks the time. It was almost noon. He cursed to himself and began to get out of bed.

"Yeah, sorry about that Ran, I overslept," Makoto called out, "I'll help with the Thanksgiving dinner as soon as I finish getting dressed."

He hears a soft giggle. "It's okay, Onii-chan! I know you had a long day yesterday. I have Ren working too, so it's really no big deal. Take your time, okay?"

Makoto smiled as he pulls on a shirt. "Thank you."

He hears footsteps retreating from the doorway, telling him Ran probably left to return to the kitchen. He took his phone again and began to dial Haru's number, but freezes. He literally just had a not-so-innocent dream of them together; was it really a good idea to call Haru at this time, even if he just wanted to ask how he was doing? 

He sighed and placed the phone down. He had only left the day before to reunite with his family for Thanksgiving, and he already missed his roommate. He had intended to invite Haru with him to London, but since this was a Tachibana family gathering, Makoto felt that it was best to not do that. Despite how much he wanted to bring Haru with him, he wasn't exactly sure if his younger siblings would be thrilled to see Haru.

He laughed shakily to himself. There was also a time zone difference between them now. Even though it was practically noon in London, it was still early morning in New York. So even if he were to call him, he probably would be greeted with a grumpy Haru that had just woken up, and he definitely does not want to experience that.

"Onii-chan!" It's Ren's voice this time. "Stop talking to Haru and help us out!"

He heard the sound of a slap and Ren screaming "Ow!", followed by Ran's voice. "Idiot! Let him talk to his roommate in peace! We are not the boss of him!"

"And you're not the boss of me either Ran!"

Makoto sighed, realizing the twins were getting into a fight again. Things really don't change between those two...  
\---  
Haru's eyes meet Makoto's sapphire and jade ones, connecting as Makoto feverishly kissed his lips, just like he had done a few moments ago. Haru gasps under Makoto as he starts to trail kisses down his throat. Makoto's lips land on the base of his neck again and he lingers there, teasing the black-haired man. Haru groans, wanting more. Makoto nibbles on Haru's flushed and sweaty skin and Haru scratches Makoto's back, letting out more moans as Makoto's hands explore Haru. He likes this feeling, the feeling of being becoming undone in front of this man, because of this man. It’s no surprise he feels so delighted when his roommate grabs his shirt and pulls it off, smiling sweetly at him and making Haru's heart hammer against his chest even harder than ever before.

"I love you," Makoto says as he kisses Haru again.

Haru opens his eyes suddenly and frowns, forcing them shut again to see if he can still get even the slightest grasp of his dream. Unfortunately for him, the moment he snapped his eyes open--for no good reason, he thinks bitterly--his dream had ended. Groaning, he shifts in the bed and buries his nose into the pillow. That was when the scent had hit him.

Why did the pillow smell like Makoto?

He opens his eyes and looks around the room, quickly realizing it wasn't his. It was Makoto's. He immediately felt guilty, having just have a wet dream… in his bed. Haru silently prayed that he didn't stain the bed as well.

Deciding to get out of bed, he walks into the adjoined bathroom and heads to the sink, and splashing cool water on his face before looking up at the mirror. Haru examined himself, even though it wasn't necessary. He has looked the same since he was 18. He tugged on the too big orange and yellow shirt he had on and frowned. He doesn't remember ever owning it. It had to be Makoto's.  
Haru frowned even more as he sniffed the shirt, confirming it was Makoto's. His roommate has been gone for less than a day and he already was doing weird things because he missed him.  
It had been exactly a week since he had realized that he was love with Makoto, and he was already doing embarrassing things. It's not like it’s the first time, he thought to himself, cringing at the memories that surfaced.

The week of embarrassment all started the morning after Makoto's birthday, at the very second he woke up in Makoto's bed. He remembered waking up long before Makoto, deciding to spend his time studying the sleeping figure. He was so lost in his thoughts as he admired his roommate’s looks that he wasn't aware he should have pretended to be asleep when Makoto woke up. Those green eyes were still sleepy as Haru smiled.

"Haru..." Makoto's morning voice was near the top of his long list of ‘Favorite Things About Makoto’, "...why are you staring?"

Haru widened his eyes in realization and blushed before muttering, "I'm still half-asleep, I spaced out."

"Really?" Makoto pressed his hand against his forehead. "You feel hot, do you want to stay in bed a little longer? What time does your class start today, maybe I could--”

"Makoto," Haru's feeling even hotter from his roommate's kindness. "I'm fine."

"Right..." Makoto smiles half-heartedly. "Sorry."

And then there was the Saturday they went out with Donna and Sophia. They went out clubbing, and as soon as they settled down to the back of the over packed club, drinks were shoved in their face. The two girls immediately started downing theirs while the other two took hesitant sips of their own. Haru remembered he was already starting to feel fuzzy after making it halfway through his drink, failing to notice the couple in front of him trying to get his attention. 

"So Haru, what are you majoring in?" Donna asked as she rested her chin between hands.

"Art."

Her grey eyes sparkled. "Really? What styles do you like to do?"

Haru shrugged. "Anything that isn't digital."

Makoto suddenly burst into laughter, and Haru gave his roommate a look. The two girls studied their companions curiously. 

"I'm sorry Haru, I couldn't resist!" Makoto apologized between fits of laughter. It took Haru a moment to realize Makoto was talking in Japanese, which explained the curious looks the girls were giving them. "You just complain about that class so much!"

"Well next time, how about you don't complain about Ruined World," Haru shot back as he took a sip of his drink.

"Okay, I get it, but I just don't understand why half of the class even thinks Jonas is alive, he's clearly--”

"Are they talking in another language to piss us off or they hiding something?" Sophia whispered to Donna. The two boys immediately snapped their heads towards their companions, completely abandoning their discussion.

"He was complaining about Ruined World again," Haru explained, his voice raising a few octaves from panic. If it wasn’t already embarrassing enough, he went and unknowingly spoke French instead of English. 

"Haru?" Sophia had asked in a cautious tone.

"Oh… sorry," Haru finally said in the correct language, "We were talking about how we hate some of our classes."

Sophia smiled. "I understand. I hated biotech when I took the class."

"It's kinda cute when Makoto does it though..." Haru added in a low voice, blushing feverishly not long after in realization. 

Makoto was blushing too and Haru took it as his cue to change the subject.

And the worst one... Wednesday night, the night before Makoto left.

Haru had gotten the time when Makoto was supposed to leave mixed up. Thinking he was the only one in the apartment, he had taken a bath and walked out in only a towel to cook some mackerel.

"Hey Haru, I was wondering if you'd like me to get anything for you while I'm in-- OH MY GOD," Makoto had approached his roommate and shrieked, not expecting to see a half-naked Haru. 

Haru had jumped and ended up dropping the pan, sending it clattering to the floor.

"Ah, Haru, sorry I didn't know, I just, I wasn't expecting, I mean, sorry for interrupting you, I'll just..." Makoto began to stammer, his face quickly reddening as Haru stared at him in horror.

Haru picked up the pan and turned on the stove, his head bowed in shame as he said, "Sorry… I thought you had already left."

Without looking at Makoto, Haru knew that the brunette was still blushing. He felt his cheeks getting hot as well. 

"Y-yeah, I gotta get going now, do you want me get you anything while I'm in London?"

Haru shrugged. "Do whatever you want."

"Okay...bye."

"Yeah."

Haru was tempted to bang his head on the wall until his head bled for his idiocy this week. He wondered if Makoto thought he was weird now.  
\-----  
As Haru shook off the last of his memories of last week, he padded out of Makoto’s room headed to the kitchen and prepared his coffee, reaching for the remote and turning on the TV. The Macy's Day Parade was being featured and Haru sighed softly. Thanksgiving isn't something Haru celebrated since he wasn’t Christian, but he thought it would be nice if he spent it with somebody some time in the future. Maybe next year.

He sat down on the couch to watch the performance of some one-hit wonder singing a Christmas song. As he took a sip of his coffee he heard his phone ring. Why would anyone call him at this hour? He glanced at the ID and saw Makoto's name. His heart skipped a beat. Was he going to chastise him for the night before?

He took a deep breath and braced himself as he answered the phone.

"Ah Haru, did I wake you up?" Makoto's soft voice made Haru's heart beat faster. He missed his roommate.

"I've been awake, " the black haired man answered. "How are they?"

"Ran and Ren are fine," Makoto answered. "We all cooked together and we're about to have dinner."

"Oh," Haru responded, thumbing the mug. "Don't let me keep you then."

"Haru," Makoto said in a more serious tone.

Haru hummed in response, eyeing the balloons from the parade as an announcer talked about a backstory of the parade he could care less about.

"I..." Makoto seemed hesitant. "I just wanted to tell you..."

Haru waited for his roommate to finish his sentence with bated breath, even though he knew what he was hoping for would not be said.

"Happy Thanksgiving...Haru," Makoto said his name in a loving tone, which made Haru smile.

"Yeah..."

"Onii-chan!" Haru could hear a woman's voice that he assumed was Ran's. "Dinner is ready!"

"Sorry Haru, I'll talk to you later okay?"

Haru nodded. "Of course."

"Alright, bye."

Makoto hung up and Haru sighed, before taking a sip of his coffee. He loved Makoto dearly, but sometimes, he could be annoying.

Haru stood abruptly in realization. He had realized this a week ago, and yet he had made no connection.

They had to be soulmates. Haru was a 1000 years old and had never fallen in love with anybody. Who else could Haru fall for? It was the only explanation.

Haru should tell him. Ask him if he felt the same way. But he's going to have to wait until Makoto gets back. He's waited a thousand years for it already, he could handle a few days more.  
-  
Nagisa hated Thanksgiving. Every year his sisters invite him back to Japan for a huge feast to have "fun." Yeah right. What they meant by "fun" was essentially a death sentence for their little brother. 

They were all a few years older than Nagisa and they had always viewed him as their (literal) baby brother. Before Haru had interfered, they used to dress Nagisa in dresses and tie up his hair and apply makeup on his face until he would cry. They had sometimes stolen his clothes too, only leaving an uncomfortable dress for him to wear at public outings.

Even if they had grown up, the ridicule of their little brother continued. But it was different.

"Look at him, the heir of our family's company and he decided to give it up for literature," Chou, the youngest of the sisters, would jeer.

"Honestly, why do you live so far away? I miss dressing you up." Noriko, the middle sister, would continue.

"I don't want you to complain about your bills when you could have had the high-paying job I ended up taking over thanks to you," Yuriko, the oldest, would add.

They always did that. They always belittled him. This year, however, was his first time bringing Rei along. Maybe it’ll be different this time around.

It was quickly approaching their eleventh month together and Rei had yet to meet Nagisa's family… or what remained of it, at least. Maybe his sisters would be a lot nicer to him since he was the first one in the family to have found their soulmate.

Maybe that was why on the plane ride to Japan he felt relaxed as Rei squeezed his hand in reassurance, followed by random statistics to keep his mind off of the dinner.   
-  
Rei could tell the shorter blonde was nervous, despite the fact that he was still as energetic as ever. Rei did not know much about the Hazuki’s, but by the way Nagisa kept himself distant from them only proved that they might not be the nicest.

Throughout the whole way to the household of Noriko, he paid close attention to Nagisa's actions.

"Ahh, Nagisa is here!" A young woman with brown hair and eyes the same color as Rei's boyfriend had opened the door. "Come in! Come in!"

Nagisa's smile quickly began to falter as he was led inside, Rei following close behind.

"Oh, is this Rei, Nagisa?" The woman continued. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Chou."

Rei nodded. "Same here."

"Chou..." Nagisa warned in a small, helpless voice.

"What?" she giggled, "I was just being polite. Unlike you. I mean seriously Nagisa, you've been with him for a year and this is the first time--”

"I think that's enough," Rei interrupted. "Where is everybody else?"

Chou was paralyzed for a second, not expecting to be interrupted before quickly recovering with a smile. "Right this way."

They were led to the living room where two girls were sitting as they eyed Rei. One looked like the girl version of Nagisa with the young girlish voice and the blonde hair, save for her brown eyes. The other had brown hair and brown eyes with a small freckle on her cheek.

"Nariko, Yuriko," Chou addressed them, "Nagisa and Rei have arrived."

"Oh great!" The blonde one jumped up. "I'm Nariko!" She said as she excitedly held out a hand.

"Rei," Rei shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you--”

"Welcome to the biggest Hazuki household to ever exist! Only the heir of the company can live here!" The sister who Rei presumed as Yuriko said, hugging a petrified Nagisa.  
It was going to be an interesting night, Rei had concluded.   
-  
Since dinner had already been served, everybody decided to gather at the table.

Nagisa clung to Rei to make sure they sat by each other when the group began to sit. Two servants came in with food and left as quickly as they arrived. There was a huge variety of food ranging from pork to mackerel and Nagisa ate it all with his eyes. He knew that he would be eating a lot for dinner.

"So Rei, how did you meet Nagisa?" Chou asked as she began serving herself some of the food.

"At a New Year party," Rei had answered. "Haruka-senpai--”

"Oh, you know Haru-nii-chan?" Nariko interrupted excitedly.

"Yes actually, he is the one who introduced us--"

"Oh, isn't that sweet?" Yuriko cuts in. "Haru got them together as expected of him..."

Nagisa sulked in his seat, expecting the barrage of insults to come raining down on him.

"Yeah, Haru-nii-chan always had been on top of Nagisa. Such a talented man. I wonder how he’s doing now..."

Nagisa's three sisters turned to him, and Nagisa looked down nervously. It seemed out of character for him to shy away from attention, but he hated this kind: the expectant, unnerving scrutiny his sisters always used to get more topics to insult Nagisa about.

"He's... in New York, studying Art."

"Wow! That's amazing!" Chou said, awestruck. 

"It really is. Hey, why didn't you try something as neat as that?" Nariko asked as she took a sip of her wine.

"Or more importantly, why didn't you take the family's business? You would be doing so much better if you had just--”

"Ladies," Rei interrupted, pushing his glasses up in that way that indicated he was annoyed. "I think that's enough. Let's talk about something else rather than attacking my boyfriend for his success."  
Nagisa looked at his boyfriend and smiled. He was definitely going to be able to get through this dinner.  
-  
Sousuke watched his team closely as they swam their laps. A few of the newer swimmers lacked perfect form and he had to watch them carefully to see if they were doing it correctly, or else they would have slower times or worse, get injured. At the thought of that Sousuke rubbed his shoulder and cringed at the memories that led to his injury. It's only been a year since he had to quit competitive swimming and decided to pursue coaching, and they still haunted him. 

"Ikuya," Sousuke had called out to a shorter male with red eyes and black hair, "stop bending your knees when you do your S dive."

Ikuya looked at Sousuke and nodded. The swimmer was silent and aloof, unlike the others who were loud and a little too friendly. Perhaps, because of his cold personality, Ikuya was Sousuke's favorite.

"Oi Sousuke," a familiar voice called from across the pool.

Sousuke smiled as he met Rin's eyes. "Yes?"

"How are they doing?"

"Their forms are getting a lot better. A few still have some nasty habits but we're working on it. They are also getting faster," Sousuke answered.

"That's good to hear."

"What do you want?"

"What?" Rin looked offended. "Can't I visit my boyfriend from time to time when he’s working?"

"No, but you better not be cutting practice and using me as an excuse to avoid a certain drill."

"Awww, c'mon Sousuke, stop knowing me so well," Rin playfully smacked Sousuke's good shoulder.

Sousuke smirked as he grabbed his soulmate's waist and pulled him closer. "Then I wouldn't be a good soulmate, would I?"

Rin grinned back and pulled on Sousuke's jacket to bring their lips together. 

"Yuck, get a room please!" One of the swimmers called out before they could kiss.

The taller man turned toward the pool and yelled, "Stop fooling around and get back to work!"

"Sorry I got carried away," the redhead stepped away from Sousuke.

"You better get back too. I'm expecting some good results for nationals."

"Okay," Rin pecked his boyfriend's lips before leaving. Sousuke watched the swimmer walk away, admiring his figure as he left. What could he have done to deserve such an amazing man like Rin?

He was thankful for whatever was responsible for bringing Rin in to Sousuke's life. They had met right before Sousuke’s injury had occurred. During the time of the injury and his recovery, he had suffered a lot of trauma and ultimately, had to give up the one thing he spent his whole life dreaming of doing. It was a very difficult time for Sousuke, but Rin turned things around and made everything all the more better. If Rin wasn’t there for him, he was positive he would have given up swimming completely. He’s forever grateful to Rin, and he’s glad that he was the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay Chapter 8 took two months because of school and I'm so sorry. On the bright side, Chapter 9 and 10 will likely come out next month since they just need to be edited now. I'm almost done with 11 too since I'm on Spring Break, so there is a chance you'll get 3 chapters in April! 
> 
> Thank you so much for waiting patiently (or not) and I always appreciate comments! :D


	9. Soft Sketch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 3, 2016: Makoto goes out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write angst for life and I'm so sorry.

For the past week, Makoto had been using all his spare time between classes to study for the upcoming exams. On top of that, he had been keeping up with his current assignments, apart from stressing over Christmas gifts and plans for the holidays.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving made Makoto anxious to leave campus. He wanted to get back to his apartment so he and Haru could start decorating the apartment with the Christmas decorations they had bought over the weekend. Unfortunately, he had to work on a group project after his last class, so there he was, sat in a secluded section of the library with his classmates finishing up their project. The brunette was too wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice one of the girls approach him.

"Makoto?" She asked cautiously.

"Hmm?" Makoto looked up and smiled as the girl approached him. She’s in all but one of Makoto’s classes, and in the classes they did have together, they were always sat close to each other. They worked together on a lot of projects, as well as helped each other out on assignments, so they knew each other fairly well. 

She occasionally invited Makoto to parties and would convince him to go out with the rest of their friends. Haru was familiar with the girl as well, although he didn’t seem to be interested in associating with her outside of the times Makoto brought him along.

"I heard that you recently became Soulless," the girl said shyly, brushing her ebony bangs out of her face. "Is it true?"

"Uh, yeah," Makoto answered, scratching the back of his neck. He wondered why she knew that. He definitely wasn’t the most open about it. "It's true."

The girl smiled. "That’s great! Uh, I mean, it’s nice to know somebody else who is Soulless like me. I don’t know many around this area. I…” the girl paused for a second, taking a deep breath, “I was wondering if you were free this Saturday?"

The brunette nodded, oblivious to what she had actually meant. “Of course! Are you having a party? Could I invite Haru to come with us?”

She shook her head, slowly realizing that Makoto didn’t understand what she was hinting at. “I just want it to be the two of us at restaurant.”

“Oh?” Makoto blushed slightly. After all, outside of the campus, he hadn’t been alone with her, so if this was going where he thought it was...

“I mean, we could do that, I just didn’t expect you to--”

“Makoto,” there was a hint of irritation in her voice, “I’m asking you out on a date.”

Makoto's eyes widened and he stared at the girl. Was she serious? A date?

“A date?” Makoto repeated in disbelief. She was undeniably pretty and she was a nice girl, but he didn’t see as anything more than a friend.

The black-haired girl rested her hand on top of Makoto’s, slowly curling her fingers around his. “Look, I’ve liked you since the day we first met. I just didn’t say anything because I assumed you already had a soulmate. But now, I know you’re Soulless too. C’mon Makoto, we’ve known each other for a long time. It wouldn’t be that different.”

“Uh…” Makoto wasn’t sure what to say. 

The girl stared at him impatiently, waiting for the answer. Makoto sighed nervously, his heart beginning to pound. He was still in love with Haru and he didn’t think he’d ever get over his roommate that easily. 

Then again... didn't he promise himself he’d date others if he wanted to get over Haru?

"Okay," Makoto answered, as the girl's face lit up. "What time am I picking you up?"

At least he'll finally have something interesting to tell Haru when he gets home.  
-  
Haru had just finished his Art History paper when Makoto finally arrived from class. Haru had been impatiently waiting for his roommate to come. He was nervous, not only because of the decorating, but also for what he had planned. Haru was going to tell him. He was going to ask Makoto how he felt about him and tell him what he thinks of the possibility of being soulmates.

Haru knows there's only two possible outcomes from this. And he was dreading one of them. What if Makoto rejected him? What if he doesn't think they're soulmates? He didn’t want to make things awkward between them. He isn't afraid of advancing his relationship, he’s afraid of losing it. In a matter of five months, Makoto had managed to get close to Haru, become a part of his world and influence it, something that would have taken centuries if it were anybody else. Makoto had stolen Haru's heart, something had never been done before. If he were to lose Makoto over his confession, he was sure he'd be broken beyond repair. But he knew he needed to get it done, get it off his chest before something happened.

"I'm home," Makoto called out, interrupting Haru’s thoughts. He took a deep breath and went to greet him at the door. 

"Welcome home," the black-haired man responded as he walked towards his roommate. "How was your day?"

"Same old, same old. I'm loaded with a bunch of work again," the taller man sighed. "I wish it wasn't that time of year again. I'm going to be exhausted by the end of it."

"Don't exert yourself," Haru responded, filling a glass of water. "But I agree. All of this work is giving me anxiety."

"Take care of yourself too, Haru."

The shorter male smiled as he handed the glass to Makoto. "And how is that group project going?"

"Thank you. And yeah... about that..." Makoto's eyes flickered nervously to the side as if in thought, scratching the back of his neck before taking a sip of his water. "It's going pretty well. We've organized who’s doing what, and we all pitched in ideas."

Haru had caught on on Makoto's uneasiness and debated on calling him out for it. He didn’t want to be meddlesome, but he did promise Rin to interfere if it concerned Soulless issues, didn't he?  
"Is there something wrong?" Haru asked his roommate.

"No," Makoto answered quickly. "Let's just get to decorating, all right?"

Haru decided to tell Makoto a little while after that. They were setting up the Christmas tree when Haru finally got the resolve to speak.

"Haru," Makoto said, as if he knew Haru was going to say something, "I need to tell you something."

Haru noticed a small sincere smile and bright loving green eyes on Makoto's face as he continued. "It's important."

Haru nodded. This was it. "So do I. You first."

Makoto paused for a moment as he lifted the tree before saying, "So while working with my group on the project, my friend approached me. We hung out a few times with her before, remember?"

When Makoto made mention of the girl, Haru nodded stiffly. She was an annoying classmate of Makoto’s that obviously always wanted his attention. To say she irritated Haru was an understatement. As much as he hated her, he didn’t have the heart to tell Makoto that he despised her. He knew that Makoto liked her company probably as much as the brunette enjoyed being with him. For a moment, Haru wondered if this was what Makoto seemed uneasy about earlier.

Makoto chuckled softly before continuing. "Turns out she's a Soulless too. I'm kind of relieved. Besides Donna and Sophia, I don't know anybody who’s a Soulless, so I'm glad."

Haru smiled, but he was trying his best not to roll his eyes. It was pretty obvious from the way she was always flirting with Makoto that she was Soulless. "That's great."

"You think so?" Makoto began opening the box with the ornaments. "Should I give you the green one or the red one?"

"The green one," Haru responded as he grabbed a stepladder and placed it by the tree. "Didn't I say that the blue ones were prettier though?"

"We're doing both," Makoto corrected as Haru nodded as he began to climb the ladder. "Here."

"Thanks," the black-haired man lifted the green ornament and tried to figure out where to hang it on the tree.

Should he ask him the question now? Would it be weird? They were already talking about Soulless issues, so it wasn’t as if it would matter.

"Oh, and I forgot to tell you... she asked me out on a date."

Haru dropped the ornament in surprise, watching it clatter onto the floor. He felt his heart beating rapidly and his blood had turned cold. Had he heard that correctly?

"Oh." Was all he managed to say in a soft voice.

"Yeah, I'm taking her out to dinner on Saturday."

Haru took a risk and glanced at his roommate. Makoto stood there, that same beautiful smile on his face with his eyes shining so brightly. How unfair was it to love somebody so beautiful, so perfect and know they'll never be yours? Haru could feel his eyes beginning to water.

Haru should be happy for him. He should have known that this was going to happen. He should’ve known better and let Makoto go in the first place. He should have taken the hint from the moment he met Makoto’s friend and resign himself to the thought that they would probably end up together. But he just couldn’t. Instead of letting those tears fall, he turned away and stared at the tree blankly. Haru didn’t want Makoto to know how he truly felt. After a millennium of hiding feelings behind a mask, Haru thought he it would get easier to pull it together. It didn’t. If anything, at least he had gotten better at making it believable.

"That's nice," Haru managed to say through gritted teeth, as he bent down to pick up the fallen ornament. He turned it over to inspect the thankfully still intact ornament. "Are you looking forward to it?"

"Mhmm," Makoto nodded, hanging an ornament of his own. "I'm a bit nervous though."

Haru's heart was still pounding rapidly.

"Oh yeah, didn't you have something to say, Haru?" Makoto asked. Haru frowned, shaking his head rapidly.

"Uh," Haru panicked internally, stopping himself from just blurting out how he felt for Makoto. "I can't remember."

Makoto frowned for a second, but shook it off and smiled as he handed his roommate another ornament. "That's alright."

It really wasn't alright.  
-  
"Oh, and I forgot to tell you... she asked me out on a date." Makoto said it quickly, as he rushed to get it out of his system. The faster he said it, the faster he could allow himself to get over Haru.  
Haru dropped his ornament and the black-haired boy looked down at the ground. 

"Oh." He said in a disinterested voice before stepping off the step-ladder.

"Yeah." The more Makoto said it, the more real it sounded. "I'm taking her out to dinner on Saturday."

"That's nice," Haru responded as he bent down to pick up the ornament. Makoto watched his roommate examine the ornament before looking up at Makoto. His sapphire eyes radiated as he studied the brunette. "Are you looking forward to it?"

Makoto felt a little disheartened that Haru was completely fine with it, but if he wanted to be honest with himself, a part of him already knew this was how it was going to end up. "Mhm. I'm a bit nervous though."

Haru began to climb the ladder again and hung the ornament without another word.

"Oh yeah, didn't you have something to say, Haru?"

"I can't remember." Was the simple response he had received as Makoto took out another ornament from the box.

"That's alright," Makoto answered as he handed the ornament to the black-haired boy.

But deep down, he knew that wasn't the case.  
-  
When Saturday morning came, Haru woke up as early as he could and headed to the pool. He hadn’t been there in a while, but today, he was willing to give up the three hours he knew he should have been using for his Graphic Design final to swim. He really didn't want to be at his apartment, not when there was a nagging voice at the back of his head reminding him it was the day Makoto was going out with that girl.

He wasn’t sure whether he was more irritated at the fact Makoto was going out with her, or that Haru hadn’t been able to let it go.  
Once he had arrived at the gym, Haru signed in and placed his stuff in a locker. He only needed to remove his sweatpants and sweatshirt since he left the apartment in his jammers. For a second, Haru wished it was summer so he can just go out without needing to remove any layers of clothing. He closed the locker, walked out of the locker room, headed towards the starting blocks, and got into position. 

He remembered seeing the coaches teach the swimmers on the team a technique to cut down their reaction time to zero. It was a simple game. There was a bottle cap between a coach and an athlete. The swimmers had to get into position like they usually would when they are about to dive. When the whistle blows, they had to grab the bottle cap before the other. It was amusing watching the cockier swimmers’ minds explode as the coaches push the cap away from them before they could even lift a hand. Since then, whenever he was at the starting block, he couldn’t help but wonder if he too had a slow reaction time like them.

He kicked off the block and dove into the water. The water immediately enveloped him and he let it swallow him whole. He could already feel all the fear and worry in his heart flow away as he felt the water heal him entirely. God, he missed the feeling of being in the water like this. Haru shouldn't avoid the water so often. The bath is fine, but it was nothing to compared to this.  
He swam around the pool a little while longer before he decided to stop. He still wanted to stay in the pool though, so he went and began to float on his back, letting the rays that peeked through the windows of the gym illuminate his face. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander into his thoughts.

"Haruka," a girl's voice cuts into the air, "you're going to get sick if you stay in there for too long."

Haru face cringed. She's just as bad as Makoto.

"Haru," the girl repeated. "Here, take my hand. We gotta get going."

Haru wondered why she was so persistent to make him leave the pool.

"I found this guy selling his place in Rue Montorgueil," she continued. "It's going to be a lot of work, but I think we can start our bakery there."

Haru snorted, but still kept his eyes closed. "Aren't we leaving for the Americas soon?"

"Are you saying I can't go and visit the world and come back to Paris?" she retorted. "C'mon Haru, I wanna at least buy the place before we leave."

"Do whatever you want," Haru sighed and stood up, opening his eyes as he looked down at the pool. "But don't involve me."

"Nanase," she warned in a tone she only used when she knew something Haru didn't know, "if you keep avoiding everything, you're going to end up living a life with regrets."

Haru looked up at the spot where the voice came from and responded. "You were right, Aki."

Nobody was there.

When the swim team began to come in, Haru had already been long gone from his bout at the pool and had retreated to his room in his apartment. He was sat on the bed, his laptop propped up on his lap as he stared at his unfinished Graphic Design project.

It was around five when he heard the doorbell ring. Haru stepped out of his room to answer it. When he opened it and saw the sight that greeted him, he mentally slapped himself.  
He had completely forgotten about the date.

The girl was standing in front of him in black leggings, brown combat boots and a black leather jacket with a tan scarf. Her ebony hair was tied up into a low bun and he could see silver earrings dangling with a cuff on her left ear. She was gorgeous, Haru had to admit, but it only made it worse. Her blue eyes widened when she saw Haru.

"Oh hey, Haru!” She greeted with a smile that made Haru want to roll his eyes. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”

 

“Fine.” Haru answered curtly. If his distaste towards her was showing, it either was ignored or unnoticed by her. 

“Where is Makoto?”

"He's still getting ready." Haru tried to suppress the urge to slam the door in her face and leave her there, and it was getting harder and harder by the second to stop himself from doing so. "Come in."

"Wow, this is such a nice place,” she complimented. “Hey, maybe next week if you’re free, maybe the three of us could--”

"I’m going to check on Makoto," Haru interrupted. He didn't want to have a petty conversation with somebody he was rapidly getting more and more jealous of.

Haru didn't even bother knocking on Makoto's door, he just barged right in and slammed the door behind him.

"Ah, Haru," Makoto's voice had come from the bathroom. "Did my date arrive yet?"

"She's waiting in the living room for you," Haru responded in a stiff voice.

"O-oh. Haru, can you help me pick something out?"

"Sure."

Makoto stepped out of the bathroom, shirtless, with the zipper down on his pants, carrying two shirts. Haru's eyes marveled at Makoto's body on instinct and he couldn’t help but have the urge to drool. He really was making it hard for the black-haired man to get over him.  
Makoto lifted a plaid red shirt and a black V-neck.

"Do you think these two together would look nice? Or should I--”

Haru turned his head to hide his rapidly growing blush. "Put them on."

He heard a soft rustling for a few seconds, before Makoto called out to him again.

"How is it?" The brunette asked shyly.

Haru was tempted to reach out and grab him. He was tempted to kiss Makoto and get on his knees and ask him to stay with him forever in this room. He wanted to beg to his roommate to forget her and be with him. But he knew he couldn't.

"It's fine," Haru responded, not even looking at Makoto because he knew that nothing in his millennia of existence could stop him from giving into his thoughts. 

"I'm going out now. I'll be back late tonight, so I'll see you in the morning, alright?" Haru could hear Makoto shuffling around the bedroom as he said those words.

"Yeah," Haru responded in a dark tone, curling his fists by his sides.

"Goodnight, Haru." Makoto said, before finally leaving. Haru didn't even bother to leave Makoto's bedroom. Instead, he decided to curl up on his roommate's bed and listen to the giggling and chatter of the couple. When the apartment fell silent, Haru laid on the bed and replayed everything over and over in his head to fill the silence of the apartment and, though he didn’t want to admit it just yet, his heart.  
-  
Makoto led his date out of his apartment as quickly as he could. He felt like she was invading something that only should belong to him and Haru. 

The date went fine. They went to the restaurant, ate, talked and laughed. Even though they were on a date, they acted just as usual. With the way he could feel things were beginning to go, it made it easy for Makoto to forget that she wanted to be more than friends now. When they left the restaurant, his date turned around and grabbed his wrist, smiling playfully as she pulled him away from the restaurant.

"C'mon! I wanna go and see the Rockefeller Tree!"

"Ah!" Makoto felt the cold December air hit him forcefully as they raced down the crowded streets of New York.

She giggled as she continued to lead him to the place.

Makoto was so mesmerized by the tree that he didn't notice her hand was still around his wrist. He turned to her and jade eyes met the wrong shade of blue. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. Immediately Makoto panicked and awkwardly stepped back. His date frowned and he could see the pain on her face at being rejected.

"Sorry..." She apologized. "I-I just thought this would be a great place for a first kiss..."

Makoto looked up at the tree again and he agreed. It was a nice place for a first kiss. He just couldn't bring himself to kiss her.

"I'm sorry too. I just didn't expect that," Makoto said. "There's nothing wrong with you. It's just..."

You're not Haru.

It was the truth. No matter how had he had tried, his thoughts kept wishing the person with him was Haru. But he did like her. He really did. The very least he could do was to try to make their relationship work.

"I'll walk you home," Makoto intertwined his fingers around hers. "It's getting cold anyways."

"Besides my mess up at the end.” She said bitterly, before looking up at Makoto hopefully. “Did you enjoy it?" She asked.

"Y-yeah! Of course I did!"

"Hey, Makoto?"

"Mhm?" Makoto hummed as they walked down the street.

"Are we dating?"

Makoto spluttered. “Dating?”

Was that what they were now? He still didn’t fully comprehend it. 

“Oh, uh, is that too early ask or--”

“No, no, I just, I’m sorry, I was caught off guard, is all.” Makoto was starting to realize how awkward the situation was getting.

“No, I should be the one apologizing. I keep forgetting this is your first time.”

“Yeah.” Makoto smiled half-heartedly. "But, I don’t mind giving this a shot if you want to. So… I think we are dating now.”

The way her face lit up reminded Makoto of a small child when they’re given their favorite candy.

Makoto got home to the apartment in the exact same state as he had left it. When he entered his bedroom, he found Haru fast asleep on it, bringing a smile to his face. The brunette smiled as he pushed back the bangs on his roommate's forehead and lightly kissed it.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't tuck yourself in properly," Makoto sighed as he lifted a blanket that was on the floor and tucked it around Haru. Despite sighing, he remained smiling.

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to sleep with you anymore. I have a girlfriend now and it'll be weird that we continued this," he tells the sleeping figure. "It's not that I don't want to. I’d give anything in the world to be with you."

Makoto grabbed his discarded pajamas on the floor and began to head out of the his bedroom before turning to Haru. Makoto studied the way his chest rose and fell and the way Haru’s hair splayed all over his pillow like a mop. He was physically eighteen, but Makoto knew he was hundreds of years old by the burdens he could sense him carrying. Under the pale moonlight, however, Haru looked as if he truly was eighteen.

"Goodnight, Haru," Makoto said, opening the door. He paused and took a deep breath. His hand tightened around the knob. It was time to give some closure. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

He took a quick shower in his roommate's bathroom. As soon as he stepped out, he found Haru's bed still cluttered with his things, and miraculously, his still fully charged laptop. Makoto chuckled as he sorted out his roommate’s things and took it all off of the bed. He must have been so tired that he just passed out in Makoto's room. As he shut down and settled the laptop on Haru's nightstand, his eye caught on an old sketchbook. It was crinkled all over, and the cover seemed extremely faded. Seeing the old sketchbook, the brunette realized his roommate never had told him his age.  
Makoto wasn't a fan of invading one's privacy, but he was really curious. The only hint Makoto knew was from Haru's physical appearance. Makoto squinted to see if he could read the publishing date of the book. It looked to be around 400 years old. Makoto picked it up and he could feel how flimsy the quality of the bind was. Makoto was afraid the whole thing would snap if he wasn't careful. He examined the sketchbook to see if he can find anything else that could possibly indicate how old it was. He looked at the pages and he noticed that there were some pages sticking out as if they were detached.

Makoto opened the sketchbook to a page that seemed that way, and he was right. The page was tucked into the sketchbook. It was a detailed sketch of a teenage girl with short hair and bright loving eyes. It depicted the top half of her body as if she was seated at a table, but the drawing gave no indication of that. She had her elbows propped up and her head was resting on her hands. The girl had a little smile on her face too. She was absolutely breathtaking. Maybe a little too breath taking?

He flipped the page and yet another drawing of the girl appeared. This time it was a full body sketch of her in a dress that looked to be from the 16th century. He flipped the page again and noticed there were more sketches of her. Who was this girl? More importantly, why did Haru have so many sketches of her?

"Makoto."

Makoto jumped and ended up dropping the sketchbook on the floor. " H-H-Haru?! I thought you were asleep!"

"I woke up when I heard the shower head turning on," Haru yawned. "What were you doing with my sketchbook?"

"Oh, I..." Makoto glanced at the sketchbook that was on the ground. "I was just amazed by your artwork."

Haru blinked, a trace of panic slowly showing in his eyes. "Which sketchbook was it?"

"The one on the floor," Makoto responded and Haru went to look at it.

"Oh, it's that one," Haru looked almost relieved once he had identified the sketchbook.

"I was wondering," Makoto picked up the sketchbook and flipped to one of the pages with a sketch of the girl, "who is she?"

The sapphire eyes of the black haired boy widened and he reached out to grab the sketchbook. "I..." Haru looked away. "She was a childhood friend."

Makoto noticed the pain in Haru's eyes and wondered what had happened between them.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" Makoto asked cautiously.

"Now isn't the time," Haru grabbed his wrist and began to drag him out of the room. "Let's go to bed."

"Haru," Makoto stood his ground. "You know I can't sleep with you anymore."

"Just one last time?" Haru begged. "I'm going to miss this."

Makoto sighed before nodding in defeat. He couldn't resist this man, no matter how hard he tried. "Okay."

Haru's eyes glanced at the sketchbook one more time, before leading Makoto out of the room. The mystery behind Haru's old friend was beginning to gnaw at Makoto’s thoughts.

They climbed into bed together but remained sitting up, keeping a considerable distance from each other. The awkward air was suffocating, but neither of them knew what to do about it.

"Haru," Makoto said after what seemed like a millennia of silence.

Haru hummed in response.

"That girl..." The brunette began. "Your friend. What was her name?"

"Aki," Haru responded.

"You say her name like you don't know how exactly you feel about it," Makoto said. "I'm sorry for asking again, but what happened?"

"Now isn't the time," Haru responded and began to lay down, facing away from Makoto.

"Then when is the right time?" Makoto snapped suddenly, taking Haru off guard. "Haru, you say this every time I ask a question about your past. I don't know much about your past, but you know a lot about mine. I don't know any of your old friends and family besides Nagisa, and yet all of mine have met you already. Don't you think that's unfair?"

"It's not that easy to explain," Haru responded in a broken voice. He stayed quiet for a few seconds, before taking a deep breath and continuing. "I've never told anybody." He said quietly.

"Then start with me," Makoto begged, laying down as he laid a tentative hand on his roommate's back.

He could hear Haru take a deep breath, but Haru stayed silent as if he was debating.

"Fine," Haru finally said, turning around to face Makoto. "I'll start from the beginning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify in case this isn't clear: Haru never was with anybody, Aki is just a very close friend of Haru. She's actually a character from High Speed but I heard they didn't put her in Starting Days *cries*
> 
> Yikes I promised two chapters this month but it seems like it'll only be one, sorry. Maybe May will have two? 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! :D


	10. The Broken Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 4, 2016: Rin has something on his mind
> 
> April 7, 1927: Haru makes a decision that he will regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aka: Haru's backstory
> 
> If you felt frustrated because of last chapter, you're going to hate me even more...anyways enjoy! (or not)

In his cozy apartment in Tokyo, Rin could see the snow starting to fall through his window. This was always his favorite time of year. Everyday, the skies would be colorless that it wasn’t clear if it would rain, snow, or both. The leaves have fallen and everything has seemingly lost its light. On days it snowed, all there was was white.

Even though everything was colorless and dead, things continued to thrive. Colorful Christmas lights were set up around homes that lit up the night and contrasted the colorless environment. The streets were filled with singing carolers and gleeful children as they played in the streets. It was fascinating how the world could be so dead, and yet, people still lived and thrived as if nothing could stop them.

Rin usually enjoys watching the first bit of snowfall at the end of every year. This time however, his thoughts stopped him from being able to savor it. Instead of excitement running through his veins as he drank coffee, he thumbed his mug nervously, worrying about Makoto.

He knew he shouldn't be distressed over Makoto, but he couldn't help it. Makoto is his best friend, and he knows him as well as he does the back of his own hand. The redhead knows Haru promised to look after him, but he could feel something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Rin leaned over the table to grab his cellphone, but Sousuke took it before Rin had a chance.

"You're going to call him, aren't you?" Sousuke said, holding the phone in his hand.

"I'm worried about Makoto. I feel like something bad is happening."

"You're being paranoid," Sousuke responded, setting the phone as far away as possible from the redhead. He took Rin's hand in his, intertwining their fingers. "I'm sure Makoto is fine. You entrusted Haru with him, remember?"

"Yeah, but still," Rin protested, as Sousuke rubbed his large thumb over their joined hands in an attempt to calm Rin. "He's my best friend. I need to be there for him."

Sousuke stood up and kissed Rin. "I know, but don't forget that it's already ten in the evening in New York. He's probably asleep by now."

"Yeah but--”

"No buts," the black-haired man interrupted. "We’ve got to get going. You're supposed to be at the gym today, remember?"

"Alright, Coach Yamazaki," Rin grumbled.

"You know I hate that nickname," Sousuke huffed while Rin laughed.

"That's why I keep using it."

As Rin stood up and grabbed his coat, he hesitated and once again thought of Makoto. He could only hope that everything would be fine. Will be fine.  
\---  
Haru was twelve years old when he first met Aki Yazaki. She was the youngest of three, coming from a family that owned a nearby farm. The brunette enjoyed spending her days by the stream and casually dipping her toes in it until she got called for work. That's exactly how Haru found Aki. Haru was visiting the stream to get collect water when he spotted her on the other side.

"Hey there sir," the girl saluted. "The water is looking all fine and dandy to collect a drink. Make sure to stop by tonight for your yearly bath."

Haru rolled his eyes as he bent down to collect the fresh water.

"You aren't the talkative type, huh?" She mused. "How old are you?"

Haru looked up at her and gritted his teeth. Couldn't she see he was busy?

"’Cause you seem about my age," Aki continued, a smile beginning to form on her lips. "Perhaps thirteen?"

Haru nodded, hoping it would be enough to keep her quiet.

"Ah, so you are listening." Sky blue eyes sparkled with delight as a smirk formed on her lips. "I was beginning to think you were deaf or something."

"I'm not..."

"Oh! So he talks!" Aki smiled as she held out her hand. "Aki Yazaki, yours?"

"Nanase," Haru responded, closing the jug of water.

"You're missing a part," she sighed, still holding out her hand. "Name?"

"Haruka," Haru replied, gritting his teeth. "But call me Nanase."

Haru shook her hand and Aki shot him a soft smile. "Deal."

For a while after that, their relationship only consisted of short conversations whenever Haru went to the stream. Sometimes their conversations would be cut short because Aki's father, or occasionally, her brother, would call for her. Sometimes, Haru wouldn't respond to what Aki was saying, but still listened anyways. One day, he spotted her working on the farm and noticed that she was struggling with fishing nets, immediately rushing to help her.

"Thank you, Haru," Aki beamed. "Would you mind taking these to the lake with me?"

Haru nodded and helped carry the fishing nets to the lake. The black-haired boy even offered to help her toss them in. 

"You seem to know a lot about fishing," the brunette commented.

"I live by the shore," Haru simply answered.

"No way," Aki responded. "That's so far away though. Why are you here so often?"

Haru shrugged. "It's the closest fresh water source."

"Really?"

Haru nodded. "It's not as bad as you think. I live halfway."

"You mean halfway through the trip from here to the shore."

Haru hummed in confirmation.

"You should take me to the shore sometime," Aki said as she began to dip her toes in the lake. "Err… is that alright with you?"

"Do whatever you want," Haru shrugged.

As time went by, their relationship evolved into what they both considered a friendship. They still had those conversations by the stream, but they also hung out at the lake or by the cherry blossom grove, and occasionally, at the shore. It went on like this for years. When Haru was seventeen, he listened to a strange request Aki had made.

"Do you ever wonder if you had already met your soulmate?" Aki asked. 

"Not really," Haru answered. He had begun to get more conversational over the years, but he was still as vague and blunt as the day they met.

"Wow," Aki looked at him in surprise. "I can't go a day without thinking about it."

Haru shrugged. He didn’t really care about it. When it was the time for him to meet his soulmate, he’d accept it. In the meantime, he just wanted to live.

"It's not really the fact that I want to see my soulmate already," Aki sighed, "it's just that I wish I could know when."

Haru didn't say anything in case she would add something else.

"I want to know when so I can do everything I want to do." Aki smiled. "I want to live my life to the fullest."

Haru shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He was fine with living for years on end, as long as he didn’t have to live forever.

"Haru, can I ask you something?" Aki said as Haru nodded.

"Promise me we'll stay together even then."

Haru sighed softly, mulling over her request. She was his only friend after all, so he didn't see any harm in promising it.

"I promise."  
\---  
The years flew past and their parents eventually passed away. The two of them remained in their respective homes, working with the other generations of their family. One day, a rich family visited the area and took great interest in the both of them.

"You can work as servants for us," the man offered. "We'll give both of you a nice home, clothes and food. The boy will receive an education, if he'd like."

They gladly accepted the offer and were whisked off to the Hazuki household. Haru learned to read, write, and paint; after some time, he worked as a tutor for the later generations of the Hazuki children. Aki, meanwhile, was a chef. They lived in their own separate rooms, but were close by, so Aki frequently visited him. Sometimes, she would bring in her food so they could have dinner together.

"Haru, I saw them bring in some mackerel." Aki would sometimes say. "Tomorrow, I'll make sure to grab some for you."

"Thanks," was all Haru would say in response before Aki glanced at his desk, cluttered with papers he’d been both reading and writing on. Some days she would just turn away from the mess, but there were also days she would ask Haru to teach her what he himself was learning. 

"I'll teach you how to cook mackerel someday, I promise!" She’d offer, hoping her friend’s favorite meal would be a fair enough trade.

"You don't need to promise me anything," Haru rolled his eyes as he waited for Aki to finish writing the sentence he instructed her to pen down.

The brunette smiled. "I know. I just want to teach you how to cook."  
\---  
In the 1400s, Haru and Aki left the Hazuki’s to travel across the world.

"You really like books, don't you?" Aki mused, watching in amusement as Haru was yet again engrossed in another novel. "What language is that?"

Haru lifted the book towards her, leaving Aki sighing. 

"Haru, I don't recognize the language."

"You don't?" Haru glanced down, confused. He swore he had shown a book in the same language to her before. "It's English."

"The names get weirder and weirder," the brunette said, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, I bet you've forgotten what day it is, haven't you?"

Haru blinked as he stood up, confused. "No? It's a Thursday."

"You really don't know, huh?" Haru noticed she was fidgeting with something behind her. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." She said with a giggle, smiling as she held out a book. "Happy birthday!"

Haru reached forward to take the book. He didn't even bother reading the cover and immediately opened it to page one. It was blank. He opened another page and yet again it was blank. What kind of a book was this?

"This isn’t meant for reading, dumbass," Aki laughed as she seated herself at the table. "It's a sketchbook."

"A what now?"

"Ever since we started travelling around Europe, I noticed you haven't drawn anything," Aki explained as she walked to the table. "What I gave you will allow you to do so."

Haru thumbed one of the pages and looked up at Aki. "Thanks, but I don't have anything to--”

He stopped when Aki thrust a pen towards him, a triumphant smirk on her face. As he approached her, he couldn't help the small sigh that escaped his lips. 

"You know you love me," she hummed as she set down the writing utensil. "What are you going to draw?"

There really wasn't anything in the room that seemed interesting to draw and he was familiar with how his best friend looked, having spent time with her for centuries, so he saw no harm in attempting to draw her.

"You," the black-haired boy said, already outlining the view in front of him.

Aki's eyes widened, but she didn't move or say anything against him. "I get to see the finished product at the end, right?"

"I promise."  
\---  
By the 1600s, Haru and Aki had returned to Japan. Unfortunately, they came at the cusp of the Isolation period and were trapped on the island, unable to leave. They were both angry at the ridiculousness of the government over the missionaries. Haru decided to live by the shore to get his hands on whatever goods the Dutch and Chinese brought with them. Aki would have returned to her family farm, if weren't for the fact she was so worried about Haru. She knew the black-haired boy was devastated he was cut off from the rest of the world and that he needed some comforting. Haru appreciated her concern, but found it unnecessary.

In Japan, the government was searching for Christians to execute. They would draw a fish in the sand and would ask everybody to step on it. When somebody forced the duo to do it, Haru did as he was told and simply stepped on it, wanting to get the nuisance done as fast as possible. He has read the Bible several times, having been one of the only books that was translated into numerous different languages, but he didn't believe in it at all. Aki, on the other hand, had a different reaction.

"Step on this and prove you aren't Christian."

Aki stepped on it, but remained standing on the drawing as she glared at the man.

"C'mon, this is the fifth time in the past century. Why do you still bother with this?" She snapped. "There's nothing wrong with the Christians. They haven't done anything to you."

"Don't defend them sweetheart," the man growled, "or I'll have no other choice but to tell the government you're one of them. You wouldn't want that, don't cha? Now step off child, you're holding up a line."

"Aki," Haru urged, in an attempt to stop his friend from making things worse.

"I'll have you know I'm almost 700 years old," Aki retorted. "And since you have to respect the elderly, I command you to just let the Christians be!"

The man raised a hand and stepped forward to threaten her. "Why should I listen to a trouble making girl like you?"

"Aki!" Haru called, but the brunette ignored him.

"I'll have you know that just because I'm a woman, it doesn't mean I'm inferior to you. I am just as human as you are, and I deserve some respect too!"

"You dumb bitch!" The man yelled as he slapped Aki across her face, before shoving her off the symbol.

"Aki!" Haru raced to his fallen companion. "Are you okay?"

The brunette nodded, pale blue eyes meeting sapphire ones. There was a huge red bruise on the side of her face and she cringed, tears threatening to spill as she attempted to smile through the pain and humiliation.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Haru said sternly, though Aki could still sense underlying hints of panic and concern. He examined the rest of her to see if anything else was damaged, before continuing his tirade. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I couldn't just stand there and do nothing," she responded, using Haru to stand up. "I had to do something. Didn't you want to do something to help?"

Haru did, but he knew better than to be so rash.

"Promise me you won't do this again," Haru answered, cupping Aki's bruised cheek. He had barely applied pressure, but her face began to crumple in pain once again. "I don't want to nurse you because of your rashness my whole life."

Aki laughed, tears falling down from the pain. "I promise I won't."  
\---  
They left Japan near the end of the 19th century, when they finally were able to do so. They revisited a few places, but lingered in France.

"Remember when I used to cook all the time?" Aki had asked one day. "I want to start doing that again."

Haru was listening, but didn't respond because he was too engrossed in the book he was reading.

"Ever since we visited that bakery, I've been hunting down all the cookbooks I could find."

Haru nodded, turning a page in his book as Aki pouted.

"Haru?"

"Mhm?"

"Let's start a bakery together."

Eyes the color of the ocean met sky colored ones. Why was she involving him in something he didn’t want? Starting a bakery meant settling down and starting to figure out life for the long run. It meant responsibility and commitment. Haru didn't want that. He wanted to be free and see the world and have no restrictions or guidelines on how to live.

"Why do I have to start it with you?"

Aki turned to Haru, a blush starting to spread on her face. "I didn't mean immediately, but after we visit America, I just want to follow a new dream..."

"Okay," Haru responded curtly. "But why involve me?"

"Because we've been together for 900 years and I'll find it odd if you aren't there beside me."

Haru couldn't understand why Aki wanted to settle in Paris so badly. Yes, it was a pretty place, but there were other places in the world that were just as pretty and Haru wanted to see them as well. He wanted to see everything the world had to offer. In frustration, Haru opened his book again and began reading again.

Aki sighed, watching her friend angrily skim through the pages, but didn't say anything.

She wouldn't mention it again until a week later, when they went to visit the swimming pool.

"Why are you so insistent on this?" Haru had snapped, making Aki frown in response. 

"Right… sorry," Aki apologized, turning away from her best friend as she held out her hand to help him out of the pool.

Her hand was small and delicate, and Haru was always afraid he would hurt her every time she pulled him out.

Haru didn't understand why, but he felt like if he didn't say anything on the matter, Aki would drop it eventually. He just assumed they were always going to be by each other's side. The idea of a soulmate had been long from his head. This far along, he only wanted to travel and spend his time with his best friend, the Hazuki family and occasionally, the people he would run into in his travels. Maybe that's why everything turned out the way it did.

Haru remembered it rained that morning, humidity still lingering in the air. The black-haired man was packing up for his trip the following day when Aki walked in. Her blue eyes nervously scanned the room as she walked up to him, biting her lip to compensate for her loss of words. 

"Are you done packing?" Haru asked, hoping that was what Aki wanted.

"Actually..." she bowed her head as if she was ashamed, "no."

"Do you need help? Give me five minutes, I'll be there."

"Haru," the brunette looked up, frowning, "I don't need your help..."

Haru looked at her, his eyes asking if something was wrong, but Aki couldn't ever read his eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" Haru asked.

"I'm--" a tear fell down her cheek before she raced out of the room. "I'm sorry!"

When Haru finished packing up his things, Aki came in again, having seemingly calmed down enough to invite him to the nearby park. Haru agreed, as it was their last night in France before they would leave for America the next day.

"It's nice here, isn't it?" She said once they arrived at the park. "I would love it if you'd drew this place before leaving."

Haru nodded, beginning to take his supplies out. "I brought my sketchbook with me."

Aki smiled and pointed at the scenery around her. "Start doing that then."

Haru sat on the nearest bench and began sketching. Aki sat next to him and watched, entranced at how Haru effortlessly replicated the scenery before them onto the paper. They didn't say anything as Haru drew. The only sounds that were made were from nature.

"Haru," Aki finally said when Haru was close to finishing, "we need to talk."

Haru hummed as he started adding the finishing touches to his drawing.

"I've probably should have told you this earlier, but... I'm not going to America with you."

"Oh," Haru simply responded. "That's fine."

It wasn't the first time they've separated in their travels. Sometimes, they had gone on separate paths for a while before reuniting again somewhere else. It wasn't a big deal, so he couldn't understand why the brunette was fussing so much.

He felt Aki place a hand on his, knowing she wanted him to look at her. As he met her stare, he could see the blues of her eyes and all the emotion behind it. "That's not what I meant."

Haru didn't react in the hope she would elaborate on what she meant. 

"I've found my soulmate."

Haru eyes widened and he showed a soft smile. "That's great Aki."

He was actually happy for her. Really, he was. He knew Aki always wondered for days on end about her soulmate, and now she had found him.

Aki smiled back in relief. "Isn't it? So... you don't mind me staying here with him?"

"Of course," Haru responded standing up. "You'll catch up with me somewhere in America, right?"

"Uh, about that," Aki said softly, staring off into the distance, "I'm… not catching up with you."

Haru froze, not quite sure he heard correctly.

"I'm staying here in France," the brunette continued. "I'm going to settle down and start a life with him here."

"What?" Haru snapped.

"I'm sorry," Aki responded placing a hand on his arm. "I'm going to start aging now that I've met my soulmate, which means that it's my last century. I have goals I want to accomplish besides seeing the world. I've traveled enough already."

The black-haired man glared at her, wondering why she had become like this.

"Haru, I still want you in my life," she continued, a small smile on her face showing how much she appreciated him. "I want you to be by my side. Maybe you can stay too? Just wait until I'm older. We can start that bakery together and you could help me with the kids. You'd be the best uncle ever. I know you’re going to watch over them when I pass away."

Unfortunately, Haru didn’t see the point in waiting a century before going to the Americas. Unlike his best friend, he still hasn't met his soulmate. He also didn't see himself living his life like that. He didn't want to live and watch his best friend age as he remained young. It didn't feel right.

Aki must have gotten the message because the hand she laid on his dropped. "Right," she laughed mirthlessly, but Haru could see the tears that were threatening to fall. "Well I tried, didn't I? Nothing could tie you down. I guess this is where we separate. You'll visit me sometime though, right?"

"If I have time," Haru responded, looking down at the ground. 

They both knew that was a lie but neither commented on it. They didn’t dare bring up their promise all those centuries ago that was now breaking into pieces before them. 

Aki hugged him, and he could hear her restraining a sniffle as she said, "Goodbye, Haru."

Two eyes with different shades of blue met for one last time. 

"Bye."

That would be the last time the oldest man and woman on Earth saw each other. 

Haru's biggest regret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would say I'm sorry but its all going downhill. I promise you that it is worth it in the end, just bear with me.
> 
> So I was able to keep my promise of at least two chapters this month. Chapters 11 and 12 just need to be edited and 13 is currently being written so it is likely the next couple of chapters will be coming in frequently. 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! :)


	11. Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 4, 2016: Makoto seeks Rei and Nagisa for help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Rei quietly observed Nagisa as he struggled to write something. The blonde had been working on a new series, but found it immensely difficult to shape his thoughts into words. When Nagisa finally gave up, closing his laptop with a sigh, Rei reached out to pat his hand.

"It's okay," Rei reassured him. "Statistically speaking, a majority of your works based off an entirely new universe that is nothing like ours have been a major success. Some are even best-selling novels across the globe, and have been translated in several languages including French, Spanish, Italian, German, English and Croatian. The last one you have published is getting a movie adaption that is to be released next summer. In conclusion, I am positive this one will be just as successful."

Nagisa stared at Rei for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

"He-hey!" Rei protested, his face heating up as Nagisa laughed.

"I'm sorry," Nagisa said when he finally caught his breath. "You're right. I just..." Nagisa snorted, "you make me laugh Rei-chan."

"That wasn't supposed to make you laugh!"

Nagisa giggled. "But you cheered me up didn't you?"

As Nagisa leaned over to kiss Rei, Rei dodged him, leaving Nagisa pouting.

"No fair, Rei-chan."

"C'mon, get back to work, I want you to at least get the first two chapters done today."

"But I'm hungry!"

Rei exited Nagisa's office and glanced again at the blonde who began opening his laptop again. "I'll get you something."

Nagisa's office was right next to the kitchen in their house, so Rei could hear Nagisa yelling everything he wanted to eat. 

"Rei, can I have ten bars of chocolate from the huge box Haru-chan sent us the other week?"

You can have one. Rei thought as he picked up a chocolate bar. Nagisa needed to eat healthier things, he reasoned. So along with the three pieces of candy he had selected, he picked up an apple and a box of fresh strawberries from the fridge.

"I'm back," Rei said, placing the food on Nagisa's desk.

"Rei-channnnnn," Nagisa protested, "there's only one bar of chocolate!"

"You need to eat fruit," Rei simply responded, lifting a strawberry toward Nagisa. "Here."

Nagisa typed something down before turning to Rei’s hand and taking a bite of the fruit. "Nagisa-kun!!" Rei flushed, not expecting Nagisa to do that.

"What? I saw Haru-chan and Mako-chan do it at Mako-chan's party and they aren't even soulmates, so it should be okay," those innocent-seeming magenta eyes blinked.

"Nagisa, just because Haruka-senpai and Makoto-san have been doing that, it doesn't imply that we can do it too. It is their relationship and they have--”

Rei stopped mid-sentence, the gears turning in his head. Could it be?

"Nagisa, did you just say Haruka-senpai and Makoto-san aren't soulmates?"

Nagisa nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure the media would be going crazy if they found out the world's oldest guy has a soulmate. Remember the 1960s?"

Rei nodded, remembering the media's obsession with pairing the poor black-haired man with anybody just for attention. They didn't know each other then, but Rei remembered how sorry he felt for Haru and the mess he hadn't meant to stumble into. When they did meet later on, Rei still found it difficult to shake off his pity for the man for what he had to go through to get the media off his back.

"Yes, but they aren't soulmates," Rei pressed.

Nagisa looked at Rei like he had two heads. "I don't see what the big deal is, they aren't… oh." Nagisa's eyes widened in realization, staring suddenly at Rei.

"Do you see what I mean now?" The purple-haired man sighed, pushing his glasses up.

"I'm so stupid," the blonde responded, "how did I not realize this before?"

Nagisa placed his hands on his boyfriend's shoulders, rapidly shaking him back and forth. "We need to help them! If they don't realize it soon, they're going to hurt each other!"

"They're going to get confused." Rei said calmly. "They've known each other for almost six months, and Makoto has already celebrated his birthday. It is only a matter of time before they start showing signs."

"This is bad," Nagisa sighed, grabbing his laptop so he could pull up his email. "I'm going to ask Haru-chan right now if he'd like to spend Christmas with us so we can explain to him what’s going--”

Rei's cellphone rang, Makoto's number flashing on the screen. He glanced at Nagisa, making sure he wasn’t up to anything.

"Don't send it to him without me previewing it. I don't want you writing emails like you're texting," Rei instructs before answering the phone.

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa gasped, placing a hand on his chest in mock hurt. "How dare you say such a thing!"

Rei rolled his eyes before finally answering the phone. "Makoto-san? May I help you?"

"Yes actually," Makoto sighed. Rei easily detected Makoto’s uneasiness. "I need your help. It's about Haru."

"Okay," Rei hoped Makoto's uneasiness was about the issue Rei wanted to address. "What do you need?" 

"Do you know anything about Haru's friend Aki?"  
-  
"Aki?" Rei's voice pierced through the phone. Makoto glanced nervously at the sleeping figure next to him, hoping it didn't wake them up. "Hold on.” The brunette heard the sound of shuffling before Rei spoke again. “You are on speaker now. Nagisa?"

Makoto heard the blonde speak, but couldn't decipher what he had said.

"Aki was the girl Haru used to travel with, right?" Rei asked as Makoto bit his lip.

He didn’t know why he should feel jealous. Haru already said that there was no romance between them, and that Aki had already found her soulmate.

"Yeah, Aki-chan and Haru-chan have known each other for the longest time. They both took care of me when nobody else would," Nagisa said fondly. "Why are you asking?"

"Makoto-san is on the phone with me and was wondering," Rei explained.

"Hi, Mako-chan! How is Haru-chan doing?" Nagisa yelled. Makoto eyed the figure next to him again.

"Actually, that’s why I called," Makoto said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm worried about Haru."

"Ahhh, Mako-chan, that is so sweet!" Nagisa cooed, making Makoto blush. "That's true love!"

Makoto laughed nervously. "Anyways, last night, Haru told me about what happened between him and Aki. He seemed really down about it and he refused to answer any of my questions. Do you know what happened to her after? Is she still alive?"

"Aki-chan lived in France with her soulmate, ran a bakery which is now a cafe, and I've visited her a few times."

Makoto still didn't completely understand why Haru never went to visit his friend again. In fact, the story Haru had told him was very vague, leaving out a lot of details that maybe he should have included. "But could she still be alive? When did this happen? Five years ago, a decade or two--”

"About 90 years ago." Nagisa answered. "I haven't talked to her in thirty years, so I don't know if she’s still alive."

Makoto gritted his teeth. If he counted it right, Aki would be about 108 years old, making it highly unlikely she was still alive. If so, she was probably bedridden with all the illnesses old age brought. She might not even be able to remember Haru!

"Makoto-san, although the chances are very slim, there lies a possibility she may be alive. Would you like me to see?"

"Yes," Makoto answered a little too eagerly, "please go and look for her."

"Of course, Makoto-san," Rei responded. "This may take a while, so I'm going to have to hang up now."

"Thank you," is all the brunette said.

"Of course."

"Good luck with Haru-chan, Mako-chan!" Nagisa chimed in.

Makoto laughed nervously, realizing it sounded like he confessed he had feelings for Haru, but Nagisa was rooting for him nonetheless. "Thanks, bye."

"Bye bye!" Nagisa called.

"Bye," Rei said, before ending the call. 

Makoto released a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and plopped down on the bed. He placed his phone on the nightstand but missed, his phone falling to the floor with a loud thud. He could hear the sleeping figure next to him stirring and he mentally cursed for being so careless.

"Good morning Haru," Makoto said with a smile, as those sapphire eyes slowly opened. "Did you sleep well?" 

The black-haired man stared wordlessly at Makoto for a few seconds before turning around in bed. Makoto frowned. Was Haru mad at him?

"Five more minutes," Haru mumbled, and Makoto sighed in relief.

"Okay," Makoto reached out to touch his roommate but he stopped himself. He told Haru that it was the last time they would share a bed together. He should probably start to get up and eat breakfast. But then again...

"Aren't you going to join me?" Haru asked, as if he could read the brunette's mind.

"Eh? Haru, it’s almost noon, I should really prepare something to eat," Makoto was looking for an excuse so he didn’t fall for his roommate"s charms again. But as he began to slide off the bed, he felt Haru's hand grip his wrist.

"Please..." Haru's voice sounded desperate and it gnawed at Makoto's heart. "Stay."

"Haru..." the brunette whined, "you're impossible."

But he gave into Haru's wishes anyway.  
-  
What was meant to be an extra five minutes extended into a two-hour nap. The fault mostly went to Makoto, who was so cozy and warm like a blanket. It was just destiny for Haru to crawl into that warmth and never come out.

On the bright side, Makoto had fallen asleep with him. The brunette had subconsciously wrapped his arm around Haru's waist, bringing him closer to his large body. It was as if Makoto was a little boy clinging to his favorite stuffed animal as he slept. The black -haired man could feel his companion's breath tickle the back of his neck, and even though Haru was already awake and starving, he wanted to remain asleep. He wanted to pretend that they were actually together and that the brunette would do this every night whenever they slept together, and that sometimes, early in the morning, Makoto would pepper kisses on his neck until they both had to get out of bed.

His daydreaming was short lived, thanks to Makoto waking up with a startled gasp, before launching into a stuttering tirade about their need to eat. Haru sighed, annoyed that Makoto was apologizing for all sorts of unnecessary things, begrudgingly dragging himself off of the bed. No way was he letting Makoto burn down the kitchen.  
-  
"Nagisa, you really need to stop adding all these unnecessary exclamation points after every sentence," Rei sighed as he edited Nagisa's email.

"But Rei-chan," Nagisa complained. "getting rid of it doesn't sound like me!"

Rei didn’t understand how someone who wrote emails like that could also be the same person who has been a worldwide best selling author for decades. He also wondered how that same person could also be his soulmate.

"You know what?" Rei turned around in his chair to face Nagisa, who was circling a date on the calendar and writing 'Rei-chan's Birthday!!!' with a bright red marker. "I still need to find Aki Yazaki and yet I'm sitting here, correcting your incomprehensible email instead. I'll fix it later!"

"That's the spirit, Rei-chan!" Nagisa fist pumped the air, the red marker in his hand staining the wall. Nagisa blushed and capped the marker almost immediately, placing it behind him. After doing that he stood in front of the mess as if that was enough to hide it from Rei. ”Heh… go find Aki-chan and help the hopeless lovers!"

Rei logged on to his account and began looking up Aki. All sorts of files about her had come up, but there wasn't anything that indicated whether she was alive or not. All of the documents Rei had found had ended at around the 1990s. Could it possibly mean that Aki had died by then? It seemed like it was the most likely scenario, but Rei couldn't find any documents that proved she was dead.  
Rei sighed heavily. This was harder than he thought. If only he could find a document, just one that suggested whether she was alive or not. After adjusting his glasses, Rei's eyes fell upon a file titled 'Medical Records'. It was just the file that Rei had been looking for. Whatever had happened to Aki, he would surely find it here. 

Aki's medical history for the most part, was clean. She was a very healthy woman who lived a long healthy life. She had the occasional flu, but for the most part, she was rarely sick. She had three children all born in the late 1930s. Everything else seemed pretty old, and Rei was about to give up hope when he realized there was a document stamped with a date that appeared to be from a few days before.

"Found you," Rei smiled, laughing in triumph as he clicked on the document.

Meanwhile Nagisa, who had been washing off the mark the marker made, turned and smiled at Rei as well.

According to the document, Aki had fallen extremely ill and was currently residing at a hospital in Paris. The doctors expect her to be dead by the end of the month. Now knowing how little time they had left, Rei dialed Makoto's number to tell him about his findings.

The phone however, was not answered.  
-  
After eating, Makoto immediately retreated back to his bedroom and checked his phone. There were a few missed calls and messages from Rei, so he decided to call him instead. "Hey, Rei," Makoto said into the phone. "What did you find?"

"Ah, Makoto-san, good news," Rei said. "She is alive and I know where she is."

Makoto was relieved. "That's great, when can we go and meet her, do you think January is too soon or--”

"She's very ill," Rei said suddenly, bringing Makoto to a pause, "and is expected to have passed on by the end of the month."

Makoto looked down, sighing heavily. They were running out of time. Both he and Haru didn't have time to go and see Aki this month. They were finishing their exams and projects, and were both likely to separate during Christmas break. He wanted to surprise Haru, knowing that the black-haired man would likely be against the situation if Makoto actually told him.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yes," Rei said. Makoto could hear the faint sound of a mouse clicking, as Rei continued. "I have the address and the name of the hospital."

Makoto looked out into the hallway and sighed. He's going to have to cancel his original plans, isn't he?

"We start break on the 21st. Do you think she'll still be around by then? I know it's only 17 days, but anything can happen."

"I have faith that she will still be alive," Rei answered. "Would you like me to book your flight for you?"

"You would do that?"

Rei sighed on the other end of the line. "I'm well aware that you are both busy finishing up the semester. As a former college student, I understand the need to have as much time as possible to focus on your work." 

There was a moment of silence before Rei continued. "On another note, I've noticed that Nagisa has become tenser whenever he's around Haruka-senpai. I only know bits and pieces of the story about Aki-san and him from Nagisa, but I know he’s scared that Haruka-senpai will repeat history again. Nagisa has told me that Aki-san had asked about Haruka-senpai a few times whenever Nagisa would visit her. He told me that he couldn't bear the fact that she was in pain, and yet she let Haruka-senpai go. I also know that Haruka-senpai is hurting from guilt. I don't want Nagisa to go through that too, and I don't want Haruka-senpai to suffer even more. Please help them."

Makoto smiled, thankful that Haru's friends were so caring. "Of course. Thank you." 

The brunette doesn't think he can ever be able to repay Rei and Nagisa for their kindness.

"I wish you two the best of luck with your studies and your trip."

"Of course," Makoto smiled. "Goodbye."

Makoto hung up and began to dial another number.

"Makoto," Rin answered drowsily after the first ring, "it's really early in the morning here, why are you calling?"

Makoto blushed in embarrassment. He had completely forgotten about the difference in time zone.

"Ah, sorry about that," Makoto apologized. "I just needed to talk to you. It's about Haru."

"What about Haru?" Rin growled through the phone, making Makoto sigh. Was he really thinking Haru had hurt him? Haru would never--

"He has been in an argument with a friend for a while and it's really hurting him," Makoto explained quickly, "and I need your help."

"You need to stop worrying about everybody. Haru? He'll be fine." Rin answered dismissively. "You need to worry about yourself for once."

"It's not as simple as it sounds," Makoto answered, staring at the door as though he could see Haru through it. "It's been 90 years."

"Well shit," Rin responded, "somebody can hold a grudge."

Please don't talk about him like that. "She's really sick and it doesn’t look like she’ll be around much longer. We're going to visit her later this month. Do you think you and Sousuke can come with us? I need all the help I can get."

Rin sighed. "I can't always give up everything for you. You know that, right?"

"Yes," Makoto frowned.

"But... because I know you'll get pissed at me for not helping you fix your friend’s problem… I’ll do it. But just this once," Makoto sighed in relief as Rin said those words.

"Thank you, Rin!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Whatever," Rin responded through the phone. "Just don't ever call me at four in the morning again, all right?"

"Right… sorry," Makoto responded sheepishly. "Goodbye."

"Bye."  
-  
As soon as Rin hung up on Makoto, Sousuke mumbled incoherently and reached out to the red-head. Rin smiled softly, taking his boyfriend's hand in his and crawling back into bed.

"Sorry, you know how important it is to answer Makoto's calls."

Sousuke hummed. "What did you agree to?"

"Helping Haru solve a problem with an old friend. "

"Are you sure about this?" Sousuke asked, wrapping his arm around Rin's waist, simultaneously pulling him closer.

"I'm sure," Rin kissed his boyfriend's chest and closed his eyes. "I don't know... I feel like whatever this is, it's going to change everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, I think I should put down what all the main characters ages are for future references so here you go.
> 
> As of this chapter's date all the characters are:
> 
> Haru: 1,000  
> Makoto: 500  
> Rin: 499  
> Nagisa: 300  
> Rei: 99  
> Sousuke: 22
> 
> I'll put down their physical ages if you guys want me to! :D
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! :D


	12. Across the Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 21st, 2016: Makoto and Haru travel to Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever but enjoy!

Makoto looked over his fully packed luggage and ran through his mental checklist again. He wanted to make sure he had everything for his visit to Paris.

Once he was sure he had everything, he left his luggage at the front of the apartment and went to check up on Haru.

"Haru?" Makoto knocked on his roommate's door. "Are you read--”

The door opened slightly and Makoto sighed, stepping inside. If Haru wasn't in his bedroom, that could only mean he was taking a bath. He noticed Haru's belongings were already packed inside a backpack that was sitting on his bed. He had packed the minimum, as expected. Makoto called Haru's name again.

"I'm here," came Haru's voice from behind the bathroom door.

"It's almost time for us to go," Makoto said. "Come out when you're ready."

"Or you could just come in and get me out," Haru responded, leaving Makoto blushing.

"D-don't be ridiculous," the brunette stammered, "that's really… not appropriate."

"It's fine," Haru insisted. "The door is unlocked, just come in."

Makoto took a deep breath and walked in. He saw Haru in the bathtub, his face turned toward Makoto with a bored expression. He could see Haru wasn't naked, but had his jammers on. Makoto almost laughed at the fact he actually thought Haru was going to let Makoto see him naked.

Makoto held out his hand. "C'mon, it's time to go."

Haru's eyes widened slightly when Makoto held out his hand to him. He looked at Makoto as if the brunette was a ghost, before ultimately taking his hand out of the water and took Makoto’s hand, letting him pull him up. Their hands lingered in each other's hold for a second before they let go.

-

When Makoto offered his hand to Haru, he was suddenly reminded of the times Aki had done the same thing. It brought a bit of pain to Haru's chest, but he ended up taking the hand anyway, basking in his roommate's warmth before letting go all too quickly.

"Five minutes," is all Haru said as he stepped out of the tub and grabbed his clothes.

"Okay," Makoto responded, already grabbing Haru's backpack on the bed. "I'll be waiting for you."

It was funny how only a few days ago, Haru had planned on spending his break back in Japan. But then Makoto had asked Haru if he wanted to go to France with him to visit his family, and Haru more than willingly complied. Makoto looked relieved when Haru accepted and told him he would show him a surprise.

Makoto spoiled him too much.

The plane to France was long enough for Haru to sleep the entire way. He didn’t wake up until a flight attendant gently shook him awake so they could adjust his seat for landing. When he had awoken, he turned his head to study Makoto who was still sound asleep next to him, his glasses askew and an open book on his chest.  _ That's right _ , Haru remembered that Makoto had been reading a book and he must have fallen asleep a while after. Haru extended his hand and gently shook Makoto's shoulder to wake him up.

"Makoto," Haru said, "wake up."

Makoto shrugged and moved his head away from Haru, as though that would get him out of the situation. Haru huffed and leaned over, whispering into Makoto's ear.

“If you don’t wake up now, you’re going to have a heart attack when the plane lands.”

Makoto snorted and his lips curved into a smile, but he simply mumbled, “Haru, let me sleep.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Makoto refused to wake up until the plane basically slammed itself into the ground when it landed. The brunette gasped, his eyes wide when sat right up as soon as it happened. He immediately took off his glasses and placed his book away. After that he turned to Haru and said, “Not a word.”

Haru shrugged. He did warn him.

Rin and Sousuke's plane had arrived half an hour earlier than theirs, so they had agreed to meet at baggage claim. 

"Oh my god!" Rin was laughing when they spotted them. "You have a  _ huge _ mark on your face!"

Makoto frowned and looked at Haru, wordlessly asking Haru to tell him if it was there or not. Haru rolled his eyes. Rin was exaggerating. The red mark on the bridge of Makoto's nose was small and could barely be seen unless you looked really closely.

"Haru..." The brunette whined, "you need to tell me these things..."

Haru huffed in annoyance. He isn't letting Rin run in with his jokes. "You can barely even see it."

Rin laughed again and picked up his bag. "Should we get going then?"

"Please," Makoto responded, trudging his luggage. "I'm already hungry."

It was eight in the morning in Paris and the city was beginning to bustle with life. There were children going out for their last day of school before break and parents guiding them across the streets. Alongside that were the children already out of school, roaming the street freely. Cars drove by to reach whatever destination they were headed.

Haru was astonished by all the changes to the city. After all, he hadn't been in France since the 1920’s. Wondering if anything was the same as he had left it, he turned away from the street and decided that the floor of the cab looked better.

"So Makoto," Rin began once they got out of the cab, "do you remember where the cafe is?"

"Yeah," Makoto responded, "it's not too far from here. Should I lead?"

"Go ahead," Rin and Sousuke stepped to the side, letting Makoto walk ahead and lead them. 

Rin turned to Haru, who was in the back of the group. "You act like you don't know anything about Paris."

Haru shrugged. "It's changed too much."

Rin narrowed his eyes before smirking.

"Of course."

"Hey!" Makoto called, pointing at an apartment complex. "This is my sister's place. Would you mind if Haru and I drop off our stuff here before going to eat?"

Sousuke, who had been silent this whole time, said "If you tell us the address, we can meet you there."

Makoto nodded. "Alright, here is the address."

Before they parted, Rin intertwined his fingers with Sousuke’s and waved goodbye. At the time it seemed like a cute gesture, but later on Haru would learn that Rin did it a lot to make sure that Sousuke stayed by his side. According to Rin, his boyfriend had no sense of direction, which was certainly an amusing factoid.

"C'mon Haru," Makoto called. "My sister is at work right now, but I have a spare key."

"Yeah," Haru responded, following Makoto into the apartment complex.

Ran's apartment was on the top floor, making her’s one of the apartments with a balcony as Haru had observed before entering the building.

Makoto opened the apartment door and immediately the scent of flowers hit Haru's nose. The scent was unbearably strong, but Haru didn’t want to sound rude, even if the owner wasn’t there. 

Makoto turned on a light and the apartment was illuminated. It wasn't as big as the apartment they shared in New York, but it was still relatively big. Haru could see the deck adjoined to the living room area and immediately went to it.

"Ran has three bedrooms and two of them have an attached bathroom. I'll take the one without the attached bathroom, if that is alright with you?"

Haru opened the latch and shook his head. "This is your sister's place, not mine. Take the adjacent bathroom, I can walk down a hallway."

"Right," Makoto agreed, "But wouldn't you like a little more privacy when you take your baths?"

The door slid open and the cold December air of Paris hit Haru's face. "We're only staying here for a few nights."

"Yes, but--”

Haru turned to Makoto and smiled. "I can hold back that long."

Makoto chuckled. "I guess you're right."

Haru offered his hand to Makoto. "Come out with me."

"Haru," Makoto began to chastise, "Rin and Sousuke are waiting for us. We should really--”

"C'mon," Haru grabbed Makoto's hand and led him outside.

Makoto's words were lost in the air as his jade eyes focused on the scenery around them.

"Wow!" Makoto's face lit up as he dashed to the railing, unaware that Haru was being dragged along with him. "This looks so nice!"

Makoto's warm hands enveloped Haru's and he blushed at the fact that neither had let go yet. Makoto wasn’t his though. He belongs to that  _ girl _ . And his heart continuously breaks over the fact that he can't be with the only person that has ever made him feel like he has a chance.

He let go of Makoto’s hand before his thoughts took control of his actions.

"We should… get going..."

"Right," Makoto looked away from the streets and followed Haru back inside.

The cafe wasn't too far away from the apartment, immediately spotting Sousuke and Rin waiting for them at a table outside.

"Fucking finally," Rin said when the pair caught up with them. "You guys took forever. We were going to start ordering without you."

"Sorry!" Makoto apologized. "We sort of got off track..."

"It's fine," Sousuke responded, handing Makoto and Haru a menu.

"Thank you," the brunette spoke for the two of them as Haru nodded.

After ordering their food, the group began to talk. As the others chatted, Haru decided to study the people walking by on the street. He watched all sorts of people of all races and all stages of life pass by. For the first time in all of his life, he thought about soulmates. Sure, a month ago he had come up with the idea that Makoto could be his soulmate, but he didn't actually consider the  _ ideal  _ of one. Haru didn't think about what it actually meant to have one, not even how to  _ tell _ they were your soulmate. The easiest way to tell if somebody was your soulmate was by aging. But Haru had known Makoto for months and neither had shown any signs of aging. Surely by now they would have shown some signs. Both of them haven't seemed to physically age a bit. And if they were soulmates, wouldn't they both be aware of it? Rei and Nagisa had figured it out a week after meeting. And according to Rin, Sousuke had known immediately they were soulmates. It took Haru months to realize it, wasn't that odd? The more he thought about it the less likely, he realizes, that Makoto is his soulmate. Disheartened by the realization, he turned away from the street and attempted to engage in the conversation.

"So the guy next to me starts laughing while I'm stretching and I'm really confused because there is nothing funny about that right? Wrong. Turns out while I was changing one of the guys threw paint at my jammers and my ass was completely stained. It looked like I sat on crap or something," Rin told the group.

Sousuke snickered. "Oh, I remember that! They had to postpone the race because of 'an accident.' That was hilarious."

"No it wasn't!" Rin retorted.

"Guys," Makoto began. "Quiet down, people are staring..."

Haru glanced at the group and turned his head away as if to say he wanted nothing to do with them anymore.

-

Once they got home, Haru went to bathe while Makoto stayed to watch TV. There wasn't anything interesting on television at the moment but the brunette needed something to distract him.

Makoto was worried. Since they have arrived in Paris, Haru had been a lot more quiet than usual. Was it because the memories of the past were getting to the black-haired man? Makoto was beginning to doubt it was a good idea to do bring Haru to Paris.

Wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't notice the door opening and Ran, who had just returned from work, entering. In fact, he wasn't aware of her presence until she stood in front of the couch where Makoto laid.

"Ah, Ran!" Makoto lit up and hugged his little sister. "It's nice to see you again!"

"It's nice to see you too," Ran hugged him back. "How was the trip?"

"Fine. I slept most of it and apparently my glasses left a mark for a while," Makoto sheepishly said.

Ran laughed.

"How was work?"

"Fine," Ran responded. "Didn't you say Haru will be coming to stay with us?"

Makoto nodded. "He's in the bath. He probably won't come out for awhile."

"I can't believe you actually brought him here. I thought I'd only ever get to see him through a laptop screen."

"Yeah well..." Makoto scratched the back of his neck. The reason why he wanted to bring Haru was not known to anyone outside of himself and Rin.

"Well... I'm glad I can meet him, Onii-chan. Do you want me to cook dinner?"

"That'll be great."

"Okay. Let me get changed first and then I'll start cooking," Ran excused herself and left the room.

As if on cue Haru entered the room, his hair in a wet towel. Makoto stood up immediately.

"Haru, you're going to catch a cold like that."

Haru scoffed and rolled his eyes. "It'll dry."

Ignoring his friend's protests he reached out to dry Haru's hair. Haru glared at him, but the blush started creeping up on his cheeks, making Makoto smile.

"I used to do this all the time to Ran's hair," Makoto giggled. "She couldn't properly dry it, so I had to--”

The brunette paused as soon as he realized how close his face was to Haru's. If he tilted his head down just a little bit, his lips would connect with Haru's.

"...do it myself..."

There was an awkward silence between them and Haru's sapphire eyes looked into Makoto's jade ones with curiosity. Makoto's heart began to beat rapidly and he could feel his blush slowly consuming his face.

_ Shit _ .

"Makoto," Haru quietly said, "is there something wrong?"

Makoto lifted his hand and cupped Haru's cheek. Immediately Haru reacted and backed away from the touch. What the hell was he thinking? He had a girlfriend, and for all he knew, Haru didn’t feel the same way.

Blushing, Makoto retracted his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--”

"It's fine," Haru's cheeks are flushed and he turned his head away. "I just didn't expect--”

"Hey!" Ran came into the room, now out of her work clothes. "It's nice to finally see you in person!"

"Ran," Haru nodded in acknowledgement as the two men backed away from each other. "Likewise."

"Wow, Onii-chan! His eyes look even more striking in person!" Ran said after shaking hands with Haru.

Makoto chuckled. Haru had sometimes interrupted Makoto's Skype calls with his little siblings and every time he did, Ran would always comment on Haru's eyes. She had done it so often that her infatuation with Haru's eyes had become something of an inside joke between them. 

"I'm going to start cooking dinner," Ran stated, before leaving the room.

"I'll help you," Haru said, before following her into the kitchen.

"Really? Perfect! Onii-chan, you come and help too!"

Makoto chuckled. "Alright, I'm coming."

Maybe Makoto did make the right choice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news! Chapter 13 will be posted next week since it is finished with editing and everything! And summer break has started so I'll be able to write more often!  
> Comments are always appreciated!


	13. La Ville Lumiere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 22nd, 2016: Makoto and Haru tour Paris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't scream at me I'm fragile :')
> 
> Anyways Enjoy!

"Haru?" the black-haired man could hear Makoto call from the other side of the bathroom door. "Are you alright? You've been in there for a while."

"I'm fine," Haru called out. "I'll be there in a minute."

He turned back to the mirror and studied his appearance again. Haru was not sure why his appearance had been bothering him; he looked exactly the same as he had for hundreds of years. It irritated him to no end, yet he couldn’t figure out why he was so bothered. 

"Tch," Haru turned away from the mirror right when he caught something off about his hair from the corner of his eye. It was hard to tell it apart unless the light shined on it perfectly. Haru froze and tugged at the strand of hair.

It was a strand of silver hair.

\---

"Oi, took you long enough," Rin remarked when the pair caught up. "Sousuke is already in line to get tickets. Let's go and stand with him."

As Rin led the pair, Haru tugged again at the spot where the strand of silver hair was. Ever since its discovery, it has been completely occupying Haru's thoughts. It meant several things, and Haru wasn't sure which were true and which weren't.

"It's Sousuke's first time here in Paris, so I want to show him everything," Rin began. "Is it alright if we sometimes separate from you guys?"

The first reason was the fact that it was just an illusion and Haru was probably going crazy.

"Yeah, that's fine," Makoto answered. "Haru and I can just go to places by ourselves then, right?"

Haru nodded. "Yeah."

If it  _ was _ just an illusion, then its simple; Haru just needed to stop being bothered by it. It was a moment of confusion, and the strand of hair doesn't exist. Perhaps all of his hair looks silver in the right lighting.

"Hey babe," Rin pecked his boyfriend's lips when they caught up to him. "Did you miss me?"

Sousuke smirked as he held Rin. "You wish."

There was only one way to find out if it was all in Haru's head or not. Haru took out his phone and opened the camera. The silver strand of hair was not visible, so Haru turned his head to make the light catch on to it. However, there wasn't enough light, which earned him weird looks from both strangers and his friends. Defeated, he put the phone away. 

"Okay, so my top priority is to show Sousuke Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, and .Arc de Triomphe”

"I would like to see them too," Makoto answered, turning to Haru. "How about you?"

Everything they mentioned were places Haru had already been to. If it were up to him, he would rather visit all of the newer additions of Paris rather than the older ones. But then again, he wouldn't find them enjoyable if he went by himself.  _ Especially _ if Makoto wasn't there. It was pointless to travel across the world with his friends and just abandon them abruptly for selfish reasons, after all.

"Yeah," Haru agreed. "But I also want to visit a few of the museums."

"Perfect!" Rin clapped his hands together and shot a toothy smile to the group."Makoto and Haru can visit the museums while I show Sousuke the  _ other _ places I want him to see."

"That sounds really suggestive Rin," Sousuke blushed, as though he was embarrassed. (Haru at this point would have made fun of the pair for being really innocent, but the hints of marks on Rin's collarbone suggested that he shouldn't comment.)

" _ Is _ it suggestive?" Rin teased, his smile turning into a devious grin.

"Oh, they're doing it again..." Makoto shook his head before grabbing Haru's wrist. Immediately, Haru retracted his hand, not expecting the sudden rush of excitement. What was  _ wrong _ with him? Last night, Makoto's hand had created the same effect and Haru had reacted the same way as it just happened. That spark had never happened before whenever they touched. And then that stupid silver strand of hair that suddenly appeared. Why was he so bothered by  _ everything? _

"Sorry..." Haru reached out to hold his roommate's wrist. "I didn't know you were going to touch me..."

He could see Makoto's face fill with worry, but relax after Haru apologized. Makoto smiled and tilted his head. "It's alright."

"Hey you two," Rin interrupted, "are we getting our tickets and reservations or are we going to have to wait for you two to get out of your little world?"

Makoto blushed and backed away from Haru. "No way! I have a girlfriend!"

Rin and Sousuke rolled their eyes as though they could see the obvious attraction they had for each other.

"C'mon," Sousuke said, "we’re holding up a line."

After getting their tickets and passes, the group had separated into pairs. While Rin and Sousuke visited Versailles, Haru and Makoto would be venturing around a few of the museums. They would later reunite to see the Eiffel Tower together.

The first stop for Makoto and Haru was The Centre Pompidou.

"C'mon,"  said Haru, excitedly tugged Makoto off the bus.

"Haru, you're going to pull my arms off, stop pulling so hard," Makoto's complaint fell on deaf ears as Haru showed their admission tickets to the attendant at the front of the museum.

"This is mostly modern art, so I promise I won't start complaining about how shitty the personalities of some of the artists are," Haru said in a tone so ambiguous no one could tell whether or not he was joking. 

Despite his tone, Makoto could tell Haru was making a joke and laughed. "I know you won't do that."

It became increasingly obvious that Makoto had never figured out how old Haru actually was, even after his explanation about his history with Aki. Haru was a close friend of  _ Leonardo da Vinci, _ for fucks sake.

"If you think you’re going to get bored, there are exhibits with videos and there’s others that are interactive," Haru said passively, picking up a map of the museum and examining it. 

"Where are we going first?" Makoto asked.

"Picasso," Haru held up the map and pointed to the exhibit.

Once at the exhibit, Haru restrained himself from grabbing his phone and taking a picture of everything. He had to admit, it was all so fascinating. From the corner of his eye, Haru could see his companion studying him with the fondest expression he has ever seen Makoto wear. They were only small glances that lasted less than a second, but every time Haru had caught him staring, his heart skipped a beat.

While Haru was admiring one the famous artist's paintings, Makoto came up behind him, just like he had done months ago.

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

The proximity between them was so close that the black-haired man could feel Makoto's every breath on his skin. Haru turned his head to meet Makoto's gaze, sapphire and jade eyes clashing.

"I thought you didn't know anything about art," Haru asked, before turning his attention back to the painting.

"I don't," Makoto responded, "but I do know about quotes."

Of course he does. It's his specialty. It's what he’s good at, along with being kind and generous. It's something that came naturally to him. Just like how he managed to snatch Haru's heart without even realizing it.

At the thought of that, Haru was again suddenly reminded of the strand of silver hair, which brought him to reason two: if the silver hair did exist, did that mean that it was always there and that he only noticed now? It was a believable reason. Although he was positive he had looked the same for centuries, he never really paid attention to his physical appearance to begin with. Haru sighed in exasperation, and grabbed Makoto's wrist.

"Let's go."

Haru led him down to an exhibit named “The Artwork of a Lifetime." It was a small exhibit that was about the length of a small hallway. It would have been easily missed if one didn't care to look.

The exhibit consisted of a small gallery of paintings and a few sculptures, all created by the same anonymous contributor. Haru, however, knew all too well who the contributor was.

As they entered the exhibit, Makoto's eyes widened in amazement.

"Wow, this is amazing!"

Haru led Makoto to the middle of the room where a painting of a woman was located. It was probably the easiest work to recognize out of the whole collection.

"Haru," Makoto smiled politely, as if he was aware he was treading personal space, "she looks just like Aki."

Haru smiled at the painting because it  _ was _ Aki.

"The artist of this collection is anonymous," Haru replied. "The contributor of this collection was a commissioner for the artist for hundreds of years. When they died, they donated every single painting to here."

"This place kind of reminds me of your art," Makoto admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"...it is my art."

"Really?" Makoto eyes widened. "Wow! I can't believe I didn't notice!"

How oblivious could this guy get?

After visiting the Centre Pompidou, they visited other museums. After hours of walking and admiring what the other places had to offer, it finally came the time for them to meet up with Rin and Sousuke at the Eiffel Tower.

The city was already dark when they met up with the other pair, and the tower was already illuminated in the night sky.

"Took you long enough," Rin complained. "C'mon, let's go!"

The Eiffel Tower, as expected, was crowded. The place was so packed, Haru had to lightly hold onto Makoto's arm as to not get lost. Thankfully, the wait to go up the many floors wasn't long. The higher up they went, the less people there were. Once they arrived at the top, there were considerably less people around. Grinning at how much space they had, Rin grabbed Sousuke and dragged him to the nearest railing.

"Look!" Rin pointed at some point in the city and continued to talk about a random sightseeing spot to Sousuke.

"Hey," Makoto's called out to Haru. The brunette was leaning against a coin operated binocular, smiling playfully. "Do you want to take a look?"

Haru nodded and walked up to the binoculars. He bent down and leaned in towards the lenses.  _ Shit _ . He forgot to uncover the slides that covered the lenses and quickly did so. However, the lenses still wouldn't uncover.

"Do you see anything?" Makoto asked.

"Yes," Haru said after a bit, and lifted his head up to meet Makoto's jade eyes. "Would you like to see?"

"Sure," Makoto took Haru's place and crouched down to look through the binoculars himself. After a few seconds, Makoto's eyebrows knitted in confusion and he began adjusting the lenses. After a few attempts, Makoto defeatedly turned to Haru and pouted.

"You did this on purpose."

"We forgot to pay it." Haru corrected, pointing at the directions. The black-haired man began digging for his wallet.

"Hold on, I got it." the taller male responded, already dropping coins through the slot.

He held out his hand to Haru and with a warm smile and loving green eyes, asking, "Care to join me?"

Haru placed his hand into Makoto's, as though he was a princess taking the prince’s hand. For them to look through the binoculars together, it meant they needed to be extremely close to each other. Their bodies were basically pressed against each other as they looked through the lenses. The now uncovered lenses revealed a park in the city, completely illuminated by street lamps. The park had paths that intersected at a crossroads. Right in the middle of the crossroads was a huge fountain that sparkled in a golden hue from the light. 

"Wow!" Makoto said in astonishment. "It's so nice!"

Haru turned away from the lenses to face Makoto. At the same moment, Makoto turned to face Haru, and they faced each other with what felt to be too close for comfort. The shorter male felt a blush starting to form, but refused to look away. He just couldn't look away. Haru was swimming in a pool of jade eyes and he couldn't escape. They didn't say anything for a moment. And then, Haru felt his eyes slowly fluttering closed as Makoto's already close face grew closer and closer.

"Makoto! Haru!" Rin called out from a distance. "Where are you guys?"

The magic of the moment was quickly forgotten when they both distanced themselves from the other. They headed towards the direction Rin was calling out to them, and found him holding his phone up, smiling.

"Can you guys take a picture of Sousuke and I?"

"Of course!" Makoto happily obliged, and was handed Rin's phone.

The red-headed man joined Sousuke at the railing, the whole of Paris behind them. Sousuke wrapped one arm around Rin's waist, closing the distance between them, as Rin placed one of his hands on Sousuke's chest. They both smiled at the camera as if they were posing for a wedding photo.

Haru noticed that Makoto was about to take a decent picture. It would look okay, but it wouldn't look  _ great _ . Haru stepped closer to Makoto, grabbing the brunette's wrist and guided his arm so that it reached a better angle. 

"The light will capture their faces better here," Haru explained before tilting the phone, "and if you hold the phone like this, the photo will have more scenery in the background."

Makoto's face lit up as Haru finished explaining. "You're right! It looks so much better! Thank you!"

Makoto took a picture, the flash of the camera briefly making the place a little more brighter. After the picture was taken, Sousuke and Rin smiled at each other. 

"Take another one," Haru whispered as Makoto gave Haru a quizzical look. "Now!"

Makoto took another picture and the camera flashed again, forever encapturing the moment.

"Hey!" Rin snapped. "I said to take a photo, not photos."

"Sorry sorry!" Makoto laughed as Haru smirked. "But you have to admit, it looks nice."

The brunette handed his best friend the phone and Rin looked at the picture. He smiled as soon as he got a glimpse of the photo,and looked back up at Makoto and Haru with a soft smile.

"You're right. Thanks."

Sousuke came up to Rin and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We have to get going. You guys enjoy the rest of your night," Sousuke said as he ushered Rin out.

"Bye!" Rin waved his hand as Haru began to head for the railing.

"We'll see you tomorrow!" Makoto called out before joining Haru at the railing.

The view had certainly changed from the last time Haru visited. In fact, the view looked even better than he remembered.

There was an unnerving silence between him and Makoto. He wanted to say something, but he had no idea where to start. So instead of attempting conversation, Haru continued to gaze at the city and the stars.

"Beautiful," Makoto said eventually, breaking the silence. Haru turned to his companion to tell him he agreed but then Makoto interrupted him, stammering, "T-the view, I mean," Haru smirked at the response.

"I know." He responded. What else could Makoto have meant? There wasn't anything as remotely as beautiful as the scenery around them as far as Haru could tell. Unless...

"Haru," Makoto said, reaching out to hold Haru's hand, but Haru stepped away so he could stay focused.

Could it be? Was Makoto talking about him before? No, that's  _ ridiculous. _ Makoto has a girlfriend, and he couldn't possibly call Haru  _ beautiful _ .

"Being here...." Makoto continued, as Haru turned to meet the eyes of the man he was in love with. The brunette smiled what could only be the most beautiful smile known to man and tilted his head. His eyes sparkled with sincerity as he confessed, "I'm glad you're here with me."

Haru's heart started beating rapidly and his body began taking control, ignoring his inner pleas. He couldn’t see anything but the man in front of him as he stepped forward and reached out toward Makoto's face. All sorts of thoughts and concerns raced through his head as he nervously attempted to cup Makoto's face.

What was he doing? Why did everything feel surreal?

Makoto froze as Haru inched closer. Haru suddenly realized what he was going to do. He's going to  _ kiss _ him. Despite all the odds and every fiber in his being saying 'no', he was going to do it.

Out of nowhere, Makoto reached out and began twirling a strand of Haru's hair. The very same silver strand that has been bothering Haru all day. Did Makoto suddenly notice its appearance?

"I never noticed you had strands of silver hair," Makoto said, confirming Haru's suspicions. "It's cute."

Makoto could see the strand of hair. It isn't a part of his imagination. Did it mean that it suddenly appeared recently? If so, then wasn't that a sign?

The realization gave a new found hope in Haru.

When Makoto turned away and apologized for his behavior, Haru took his hand and intertwined their fingers. Haru was back to gazing at the city, trying to ignore the fond stare Makoto was giving him.

Haru was convinced and had made his decision. He was going to take action. Tonight.

\---

Haru was so transfixed by the astonishing view that he didn't notice Makoto admiring how beautiful he looked.

"Beautiful," Makoto said accidentally, and Haru snapped out of his daze to look at Makoto.

"T-the view, I mean," Makoto sputtered in an attempt to save himself.

Haru turned to him fully and smirked. "I know."

"Haru," Makoto reached out to his roommate and Haru backed away. Right. Haru was the one that needs to initiate the touching. Hasn't he learned anything from the last few days?

"Being here..." Makoto continued, catching Haru's attention. Makoto smiled and tilted his head as he leaned on the railing, his eyes trying to convey how much he treasured Haru, "I'm glad you're here with me."

Haru had completely abandoned the railing and was now facing Makoto, his sapphire eyes wide open with light pouring into them. The shorter male took a step forward, shortening the distance between them even more. He raised a shaky hand that inched closer and closer to Makoto. The brunette couldn't move, afraid of what will happen if he did. All he could see is Haru. His face, his eyes, his hair. Makoto had always admired his features, especially after realizing his feelings, but everything seemed even more intense up close. And then something in Haru's hair caught his attention. It was different from the rest of his black hair. It shimmered in the lights of Paris.

Before he could realized what he was doing, Makoto tentatively reached out for the strand and played with it, knocking sense into a now frozen Haru. 

"I never noticed you had strands of silver hair," Makoto smiled. "It's cute."

Haru, who was still in shock, let out a small gasp and his eyes sparkled even more. The magical moment was quickly lost when Makoto realized what he had just done.

"Sorry!" Makoto let go of the strand he was playing with and backed away from Haru, leaning on the railing again to face the city and turn away from Haru, "I have no idea what came over me. I got a little carried away--”

Haru's smaller hand made a grab for Makoto and intertwined them. Makoto turned to Haru, the tips of his ears quickly reddening.

Haru was staring out into Paris again, any sign of a reaction to his rash action completely hidden, apart from the faint trace of a blush on his cheeks. Haru briefly side glanced at Makoto, an action that would have been missed if Makoto hadn't been staring.

_ He's holding his hand. _

Makoto knew he shouldn't be feeling so excited over the simple gesture,  _ surely _ it meant nothing, but it was Haru's way of reassurance. Despite the lack of meaning behind it, it's all he's got. And that's enough.

\---

After arriving at Ran's house, taking a shower, and changing into his pajamas, Haru decided it was time to do what he needed.

When he reached the door to Makoto's room, Haru knocked and whispered, "May I come in?"

"Sure!" Came the upbeat response. "The door is unlocked, you can just come in."

Haru entered the room to find Makoto sitting on the bed and reading. The brunette patted a spot next to him. "Is there something wrong?"

Haru sat himself on the spot Makoto offered and shook his head. Makoto smiled patiently, silently saying he was waiting for Haru to say something. Haru couldn't bring himself say anything. Was he  _ already _ getting cold feet? No, he couldn't give up, not now. Not when he was so determined before, and especially not when he was already bothering Makoto.

"I need to tell you something," Haru cautiously said. "It's important."

Makoto gave Haru a concerned look but remained silent.

"I..." Haru searched for the right words to say, but couldn't. In frustration, he turned away from Makoto.

Makoto placed a hand on Haru's shoulder and reassured him. "It's okay if you can't say it right now. Don't feel pressured. I can wait. Tell me when you're ready."

But what could he say? He has been keeping it inside for over a month that he was afraid of what would happen if he  _ did _ say it. But maybe… he didn’t have to use words.

Haru lifted his hand and cupped Makoto's face. Makoto's eyes widened slightly as Haru leaned closer and closer. And then Haru's lips brushed Makoto's. Haru never allowed himself to really imagine what Makoto's lips felt like, but  _ this. _ He never expected Makoto's lips to feel so soft under his.

Haru pulled away quickly. It was only just a peck but the touch left Haru's body feeling ignited all over. The shorter male studied Makoto, seemingly frozen in place. There was a blush starting to appear on his face, his mouth agape and his jade eyes sparkling. He didn't say anything for so long that Haru got worried.

"Right... sorry..." with a weary heart, Haru began to slide off the bed.

Makoto, who must have realized that Haru was leaving, sprung to life and grabbed Haru's wrist.

"Wait!" Makoto pleaded, "Don't go..."

Sapphire and jade eyes stared each other down.

"You didn't kiss me back," Haru croaked.

"You left too quickly," Makoto responded.

For a long time, there was only silence as they gazed into each other.

"Aren't you… supposed to kiss me back?" Haru asked cautiously.

Makoto blinked, "R-right..."

The brunette bent down and Haru tilted his head up to meet him halfway…  or what would have been halfway if Makoto hadn't suddenly jumped back.

"Haru," Makoto said in a pained voice, "I can't..."

Haru gritted his teeth in irritation. "Why not?" he demanded. "Just a few seconds ago, you wanted to."

"I can't, Haru," Makoto whined. "I have a girlfriend. You're… you’re just my roommate."

_ You're just my roommate. _ The words sounded like a distant echo inside his head. Haru was not sure what he was feeling anymore. Was it disappointment from his words? Was is anger for the rash actions Haru took? He just felt numb and dry like the air had been sucked out of him. Empty. 

There was only two things on his mind.

_You're just my roommate_. Makoto's words were still echoing, bouncing around with seemingly no intention to leave him any time soon. _Forget it._ Was the other thought. It's like a broken cry inside his head. It's not a suggestion inside his head, but a command. _Forget_ _it_. What could have Haru been expecting? It's the truth. They weren’t soulmates. They're _just_ roommates. He was _just_ Haru, after a millennium alone, going crazy. It's just an illusion. They were _never_ soulmates. He just made this all up.

_ Forget this. _

Haru huffed and shoved off Makoto's hand, still holding Haru’s wrist.

"You're right," Haru growled. "I'm just your roommate."

He abruptly left Makoto's room, tears threatening to spill over.  _ Forget everything. Forget you ever thought that even for a second-- _

"Wait!" Makoto called out and chased after Haru, "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what  _ did _ you mean?" Haru snapped.

"I..." Was Makoto really unsure what to say? At a time like  _ this _ ?

Haru turned away from Makoto and continued to walk down the hall. "That's what I thought."

He slammed the door abruptly and leaned back into it, trying to prevent the tears from falling. Eventually, he gave in and wiped his tears with the sleeve of his shirt, crawling into his bed and curling up into a ball. He didn’t want to think about anything.

That night was the worst sleep he had ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 14 is being edited at the moment but my beta is very busy so it may take awhile. On the bright side, I am a few chapters ahead in my writing (currently writing chapter 17) so that means there may be more frequent updates towards the end of the year. No promises however!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


	14. The Eye of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 23rd, 2016: Rin and Sousuke notice that something happened the night before between Makoto and Haru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Or in which everybody points fingers on who is to blame when it's actually everybody's fault)

"Good morning everybody! Makoto… you look like shit," Rin commented the next morning, after Ran let him and Sousuke into her apartment.

Makoto nervously thumbed his hot chocolate and laughed. "I do? I didn't sleep well last night."

Haru, who had been ignoring the group up until then, looked up and gave Makoto a look. It was a strange look, one Rin had never seen on Haru before. Haru had always looked at Makoto fondly, almost like he was enchanted by the brunette's presence. Now his expression had changed into a blank one, as though Haru was trying to pull a poorly concealed facade. Makoto turned to look at Haru and Haru turned his head away with a huff. As far as Rin could remember, Haru had never been truly irritated by his roommate. Makoto frowned, an expression Rin  _ did _ recognize on Makoto. It was an expression of longing. Did something happen?

"Try to sleep better tonight then," Rin advised.

Makoto smiled. "Thank you."

"Hey," Sousuke greeted Ran. "Nice apartment."

Makoto's little sister gushed. "Thank you."

She closed the door and Rin turned to Haru. Obviously, Makoto was down because of something that was happening to Haru, and being the meddlesome guy he is, must have interfered. Perhaps Haru was just going to pull the attitude on everybody.

"Morning Haru," Rin greeted as he sat in front of Haru at the table. Haru acknowledged him with a nod. The black haired man looked back to normal for the most part, if it weren't for the cautious glance he shot at Makoto. "You don't look too hot either."

Haru blushed and looked down at his unfinished breakfast as if he were ashamed. In a quiet voice he said, "I had trouble sleeping last night."

The same excuse Makoto used not even a minute earlier. Something  _ definitely _ happened.

"Alright..." Rin clapped his hand and awkwardly stood up. "After finishing breakfast Sousuke and I want to go to the bridge alone. Would you and--”

"Can I come with?" Makoto and Haru said at the same time, both their expressions desperate. Was the situation so bad they couldn't even be alone together?

"Alright, the both of you can come with us," Rin sighed, ideas flowing through his head. How was he going to fix this?

As everybody stood up to collect their coats, Sousuke wrapped his arms around Rin's waist and buried his face in the redhead's neck. Rin laughed gratefully. Sousuke must have noticed how tense Rin was and came to comfort him. Sousuke lifted his head up and moved closer to Rin's ear.

"What's wrong with Makoto and Haru?" Sousuke whispered before kissing his ear.

Rin smiled. "You noticed too huh?"

"Stop worrying about them. They’re inseparable. Just let them talk it out," Sousuke let go of Rin and retrieved his coat. "They can't just avoid it forever."

Rin sighed. "Can I least figure out what happened?"

Sousuke faced Makoto and Haru, whom were standing awkwardly next to each other as they waited for Sousuke and Rin. They were both standing stiffly with a distance between them that seemed far too big, glancing at each other nervously when they were sure the other wasn't looking. It looked pathetic. Sousuke turned to face Rin and sighed. "Fine. But don't interfere more than you have to."

"Alright!" Rin grabbed his coat and tapped on Makoto's shoulder. "Walk with me."

Makoto, grateful to finally leave the awkward situation with Haru, followed Rin out of the door.

"Rin?" Makoto asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"I should be asking you that question," Rin answered as they continued to walk down the hallway.

"Right..." Makoto smiled weakly and looked at the ground.

"C'mon, tell me. What happened?" Rin asked.

"It's nothing..." Makoto reassured him as Rin laughed.

"I've known you for centuries. Stop thinking you can pull off a lie like that," Rin reprimanded playfully. "Don't you remember all the bad things that happened when you didn't tell somebody?" Makoto sighed and Rin wagged an accusing finger at him. "You see? Now tell me."

"I honestly can't remember," Makoto weakly chuckled, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

"Then tell me what you  _ do _ remember."

"Okay… I was just in my bedroom reading a book when Haru came in, right? So I asked him what was wrong and he said he needed to tell me something."

_ Oh _ . Rin had a feeling that he knew where it was going.

"But then he panicked and I think he was about to leave but I begged him to stay. He wouldn't answer me, so I told him to tell me whenever he was ready," Makoto took a deep breath before releasing the final words, "and then he kissed me."

Rin stumbled. He always had a feeling that Haru saw Makoto in  _ that _ way, but he never thought the black haired male would ever take action.

"And what did  _ you _ do?" Rin asked as they turned a corner.

"I just froze," Makoto admitted. "It was just so sudden and it was only just a peck that I couldn't fully register what was going on," Makoto stopped walking for a second and looked at Rin. "Can I tell you a secret?"

_ Oh here it is.  _ Rin told himself before nodding.  _ He's finally going to admit he likes Haru. _

"I’ve always liked Haru," Makoto confessed, "I always thought it was a one-sided thing, you know? I thought Haru was still waiting for his soulmate while I was… well, you know. Anyways, when a friend of mine from college asked me out, I saw it as a ticket to get over him, so I went out with her. She's a really nice girl and a great friend but I just can’t bring myself to fully put myself into my relationship with her. Every time I tried, I just thought of Haru and how I wished it was him. So when he kissed me, I was so happy..."

"Okay." _Something wasn't right,_ Rin thought to himself. "If both of you like each other _and_ Haru confessed last night… why aren't you acting like the happiest people in the universe? It doesn't make _any_ sense."

"I didn't react because I was so surprised," Makoto explained. "He panicked and tried to escape, but I caught him in time. I didn't say anything, but then he asked if I was going to kiss him back. Believe me, I was going to, but then I remembered I was taken so I backed off. He got upset and I tried to explain, but I guess I said something that ticked him off because he just… ran away.” 

"And you didn't chase after him?" Rin inquired exasperatedly. "Makoto, for the love of the earth, please do not tell me you just  _ stood _ there like an  _ idiot _ ."

"Well, I did chase after him," Makoto interrupted, "but I couldn't answer his question."

Rin saw how defeated Makoto looked and sighed. He placed a comforting hand on his best friend and smiled.

"It's okay. It isn't your fault. Haru is a strange guy, so he’s probably just as lost as you. Just… wait it out, okay? Just wait until both of you calm down a bit then explain to him that you feel same way."

Makoto nodded weakly. "But what about--”

"Relax. Sousuke and I will take care of it," Rin reassured.

Makoto smiled sincerely. "Thank you."

-

"Shouldn't we start heading down?" Haru asked, crossing his arms on his chest after Rin and Makoto left.

"No," Sousuke looked out into the hallway and watched the shrinking figures of his companions round a corner in the hallway, "not yet."

"This is ridiculous," Haru complained, walking up to the door to push pass Sousuke.

"Sorry," Sousuke took a step forward and raised his arms to block the shorter male. "You can't come out just yet."

"Are you kidding me?" Haru struggled to push Sousuke out of the way. "Just let me through!"

"Not yet."

"Let me through!"

Sousuke was beginning to realize why Makoto had gotten into a fight with him. This guy was stubborn as  _ fuck _ .

With a sigh, Sousuke tilted his head back and listened to see if Rin and Makoto were still talking. Sure enough, they were, making Sousuke sigh. How exactly was he supposed to distract Haru in the meantime?

" _ Oi _ ," Sousuke growled, "if you continue with this attitude, you and Makoto will never make up."

Haru stopped for a second before continuing again.

"I don’t care. He's  _ just _ my  _ roommate _ ." Haru replied bitterly, as though he was remembering something he’d rather not. "It's not like we're soulmates."

"But what if you were?" Sousuke asked.

Haru gritted his teeth and shot the taller male an irritated look. "I'm a thousand years old. I don't have a soulmate."

"Well if you don't have a soulmate, that makes you Soulless. Makoto is one too. It's perfect."

"He has a girlfriend." Haru reminded Sousuke. "Plus," Haru stopped struggling against Sousuke, staring challengingly at him instead, "he doesn't even like me."

"We both know that's a lie." Sousuke replied, genuinely confused. What had happened to make Haru say that? "He may not want to admit it, but he loves you."

Haru scoffed. "I would have believed you before last night."

"No, you wouldn't have," Sousuke corrected his companion. "Before last night, you were too  _ oblivious _ to realize."

He must have struck a nerve, because Haru suddenly stopped and backed away. The shorter male bowed his head and clenched his fist.

"Oh no," Sousuke panicked, realizing he must have gone too far. "I'm sorry, I didn't--”

"Please," Haru gritted his teeth, "just stop."

Sousuke leaned back and heard nothing. Makoto and Rin must have finished.

"Right. Let's go."

-

When Sousuke and Haru caught up, Rin called out to a cab and brought everybody to a bridge that was covered with several locks.

"Isn't that Ponts des Arts?" Haru asked.

"Yeah," Rin answered.

"I thought the city forbade people from putting more locks on the bridge?"

"They did," Rin said and pulled out his phone, “but that doesn't mean I can't get pictures with them, right Sousuke?"

"Yeah," Sousuke answered.

"Oi Makoto, can you take a picture of us?"

Makoto nodded. "Sure."

As he lifted the phone to take a picture of the couple, Rin noticed Haru awkwardly standing away from the group. Just yesterday Haru was right next to Makoto when they took the picture of Rin and Sousuke. Seeing them as they were now, to the point that they couldn’t be next to each other, threw him off immensely. Rin had originally assumed that Haru would calm down and the two of them would talk it out, but it seemed like the problem was bigger than it had originally seemed to Rin. Will he also have to talk to Haru?

Sousuke's words rang through his head as Makoto took the picture. Maybe he shouldn't interfere...  but what if they never make up?

"Is this okay?" Makoto asked, showing the picture to Rin and Sousuke.

"Yes," Rin answered, taking his phone back. "Do you guys want to go out for lunch?"

"Sure," Makoto answered and turned to Haru but quickly turned away, "I know of a great restaurant nearby."

"Lead the way," Sousuke replied. "I'm starving."

As the group walked down the street, Rin intertwined his fingers with his boyfriend’s. Although he originally decided to come to Paris for Makoto, Rin was glad he came. After all, he got to show Sousuke the city and all of its beauty.

Rin watched Makoto and Haru silently walk next to each other. Makoto was longingly staring at Haru while Haru was pretending to be more interested in the architecture than in his friend.

"Haru," Makoto said after passing by a few shops, "we need to talk."

"Is there something to talk about?" Haru snapped, seemingly still admiring the architecture. "I thought you made it clear last night."

"Haru, just let me explain--”

"No." Haru shook his head. "Forget it."

Rin and Sousuke looked at each other and silently agreed to stop them before it escalated.

"Haru," Makoto pleaded, "just hear me out."

"There's nothing to hear. It's not like--”

"Okay!" Rin interrupted and pushed Makoto away. "That's enough. Hey Makoto, isn't that the restaurant?"

"Yeah," Makoto said, staring at Haru with a pained expression.

"Then let's go in!"

-

The only thing Sousuke thought the whole time they were at the restaurant was an unending stream of  _ Are you fucking kidding me? _

Because Rin was afraid Makoto and Haru would make a scene, he made Sousuke sit in between them, which meant he couldn't sit next to his soulmate and  _ also _ meant he had to awkwardly reach over a wounded Makoto every time he wanted to touch Rin.

This was  _ not _ fair. Why did  _ he _ have to suffer the consequences of the misunderstanding? He was already reluctant on coming to Paris with Rin, and  _ just _ when he was starting to let it go,  _ this _ happens. Why did Rin decide he had to help them? Maybe, just maybe, the fight would have gotten them somewhere.

"Oh hey guys!" Ran greeted. "I didn't know you would be in this area!"

"Ran!" Makoto greeted the brunette. "Hi!"

"Hi Onii-chan!" Ran waved and turned to a disinterested Haru. "And Haru?"

"Hi," was the all the black haired man said.

"I'm waiting for a friend to have lunch with," Ran explained, "do you mind if I sit with you guys until she arrives?"

"Of course!" Makoto, forever the doting older brother replied.

"Thank you," Ran smiled and seated herself next to Rin.

There was a moment of awkward silence, the group of five not knowing what to say.

After what seemed like forever Ran awkwardly said, "So… where are you guys going today?"

Makoto shrugged. "We haven't really made any plans for today. We were just planning on walking around and if we see something we want to do, we just do it..."

"Really?" Ran asked. "Have you guys visited museums yet?"

"No," Sousuke answered, "but they have."

Sousuke motioned toward Haru and Makoto as the brunette nodded in agreement while the other simply rolled his eyes. Ran curiously glanced at Haru but decided not to comment on it.

"And you two?" Ran asked. "What have you done?"

Rin turned around to face Sousuke and Sousuke smiled, closing his eyes to bask in the memories of the day before. "Sightseeing."

"Yeah, we saw Versailles and visited the Eiffel Tower."

"Really?" Ran's eyes widened. "Did you guys like it?"

"Yeah we did actually," The redhead took out his phone and began scrolling through his gallery. "Makoto took a picture of us at the top."

Ran smiled at her brother and turned to Haru. "Did you come with them?"

Haru looked away as if to show disinterest in the conversation. "Yeah."

Ran's smile faltered, not expecting Haru to be so aloof, but was quickly replaced with a grin and a follow up question. "Did you help Makoto take this photo? He's not very good with photography."

Haru's blue eyes snapped to Ran's direction before diverting again. "That's not the only thing he's terrible at."

Sousuke almost cringed with what Haru said.  _ Why _ did he say that? The black haired male said it so bluntly, nobody could tell if he was joking or being serious. Everybody was silent for a few moments, letting Haru's words sink into their minds. Rin's eyes met Sousuke’s, wordlessly asking for  _ any _ distraction he could muster up. Sousuke still didn't want to interfere. He still thought that a little fighting could go somewhere.

_ Why?  _ He asked Rin, eyes pointing momentarily at Makoto. Sousuke's gaze shifted to the brunette and his heart sank. Makoto’s head was down and his hands were curled into fists. His skin looked deathly pale and he seemed to be frozen. It was like nothing around Makoto existed, except for his thoughts. Sousuke reached out to lay a hand on Makoto's shoulder, who slowly looked up at Sousuke with pained green eyes. Those eyes that always used to shine with enthusiasm were now dull and brimming with tears. Was the rift between Makoto and Haru  _ that _ bad? So bad that Makoto couldn't even compose himself? Sousuke turned to face Haru, silently glaring at his indifferent display toward Makoto. Ran was angrily looking at Haru, her hands curling into fists.

"But you helped me get better at them," Makoto said in a small voice.

Everybody turned to Makoto with shocked expressions. Even Haru looked at Makoto.

"Haru could have just left me alone and did those himself, but instead, he chose to help me get better at them. And I'm grateful for that."

Makoto was looking at Haru with an expression that seemed to say  _ I'm sorry please  _ please _ forgive me _ . Haru's blue eyes were wide as he stared at Makoto, a slight blush beginning to appear. Was this it? Was this what the two of them needed to make up? As quickly as it happened, Haru turned his head away and mumbled, "Whatever."

Guess their stupid little disagreement couldn't be fixed so easily.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Ran excused herself, "Haru, can you show me the way?"

Haru stood up and nodded. "Yeah."

As Haru stood up and led Ran away from the group, Sousuke realized what Rin always meant by _ ‘I have a feeling…’. _ He certainly had a feeling that Ran didn't need to go to the bathroom at all.

-

Once they were out of the group's sight, Haru assumed that Ran was ready to speak with him because she grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving.

"We need to talk," she said in a serious tone, as if Haru wasn't already aware. "I heard you two yelling last night but I didn't think much of it. Then in the morning you two wouldn't even look at each other and I thought it was only because it was early in the morning and you haven't done much since the fight. But  _ this _ ," Ran crossed her arms, "what the hell?"

Her teal eyes bore into Haru, asking for answers, but Haru stood his ground.

"Don't you realize your actions are only making things worse? Do you even want to make up with my brother?"

Haru turned his head away, not giving her an answer.

"Don't you love him?"

"He's taken."

"Does it matter?" Ran asked.

"You know the answer."

"I do," Ran's eyes are tearing up and she wipes them away with the sleeve of her sweater, "And he's never admitted it to me, but  _ I _ know.  _ He loves you _ ."

"As a friend." Haru replied, immediately suppressing a stray flare of excitement over false hope.

"Possibly," Ran answered. "He loves a lot of things. He loves Ren and I. He loves Rin and Sousuke. He loves chocolate and curry. He loves literature. True, they’re different forms of love, but it is still love. Whether he loves you as a friend, passion, sibling or something else, it doesn't matter. What matters is that he is happy, and frankly, he can't even pretend he is at the moment."

But it  _ does _ matter. It always matters what type of love it is. Unrequited love is painful. The more in love you are, the more painful it gets. And Haru was in so deep, it felt like he was being stabbed multiple times all over his body. He could barely stand it.

Ran gritted her teeth and scoffed, tears still in her eyes. "Everyday I call him and ask about his day. It was never 'I did this' or 'I did that.' It was always 'We did this' or 'Haru and I did that.' Recently, he’s been stressing out over something, and I see it whenever we talk on Skype. He never said anything, but I saw it. But whenever you joined in… I've never seen him look so happy. You bring out a side of him, a side of him that makes me love you too."

"I can't..."

Ran's hands are now lightly holding onto Haru's. They're small and smooth, but not delicate. Ran's teal eyes are pleading to find something Haru's eyes. She's sniffling, as if this was her last resort.

"Please… fix this..."

Haru pulled the girl in for a hug. The damage being done wasn’t just affecting him.

It's affecting everyone.

-

When Ran and Haru returned to the table, Rin eyed them suspiciously. They had taken too long for it to be  _ just _ a bathroom trip. Ran seemed irritated and Haru seemed even more indifferent than before. Had something happened?

Rin's gaze must have caught Haru's attention because suddenly, those sapphire eyes were staring right back into Rin's ruby ones. It was an odd feeling, being stared down by Haru. His eyes were so beautiful that it was almost captivating, but its intensity could be frightening. At that moment, it seemed like Haru's eyes were challenging him, as if saying  _ What are you going to do about it? _

Normally, Rin would challenge him right there and then, but there has been something in the back of his head that is gnawing at him.

_ "Promise me," _ Rin's voice from months ago came back into his head,  _ "you won't hurt him." _

And he remembered that night from so long ago, Haru's hand over his, as Haru said with the most sincere face,  _ "I promise." _

Anger began to boil in Rin's chest.  _ He promised.  _ Haru had promised to protect Makoto, promised to take care of him, to make sure nothing put him in harm's way. And not only did he break Makoto’s heart,  _ he _ was the cause of Makoto's hurt.

Before his emotions could take over, Rin turned away and tried to focus on his meal. It was impossible to focus when his mind swirled around something else.

Some time while they were all eating, Ran's friend had arrived and she left the men alone. Soon after, they finished lunch and rushed out of the restaurant. As they walked down the streets of Paris again, Rin eyed Haru. The man had decided that his phone was more entertaining than the rest of the group, occasionally looking up to watch where he was going.

"Haru," Rin called out to the black haired man, "I need to talk to you."

Haru looked up from his phone and nodded. He was being expressionless again. Distant ever since lunch started. He needed to change the mood quickly. If Haru's mood didn't change now, nothing good will happen.

Rin made sure Makoto was out of earshot when he said, "You need to talk to Makoto and apologize."

Haru gave no indication of a response, besides an irritated eye roll.

"Do you remember what you told me when I first met you?" Rin said in a more irritated tone. "You promised to watch over him. You promised to never hurt him. And now look what you've done."

Haru gritted his teeth and glanced at Makoto, who responded with a small "That's enough Rin."

"You've done just  _ that," _ Rin just felt all of his emotion finally bursting out. He was unable to hold anything in. "You think you can just bend the rules and do whatever you want?"

The black haired man was now staring at Rin, his sapphire eyes burning. "Rin." he said, "Enough."

"Do you do this all the time? Make a promise and then  _ break it _ as if it were nothing?"

"Do you think I'm actually that heartless?" Haru snapped. "Because I'll have  _ you _ know that Makoto isn't the only one hurting here. If you think I'm the one that's bending and breaking things, then you're just being naive."

Rin froze, shocked at Haru's reaction. Of course. Makoto wasn’t the only one hurting. Rin was Makoto's friend and since Makoto was hurt, he was setting up his friend as the victim all while framing Haru as the villain. In reality, the whole situation was just a huge misunderstanding.

"Have you ever thought about my feelings? I know that I broke a promise. You don't have to remind me. You don't have to guilt me into apologizing. I already know I made a mistake. Stop pestering me about it."

Of course Rin has never thought about Haru's feelings. He was only thinking of Makoto. Poor Haru, he must have been through a lot in the past day. Gotten the short end of the stick from a misunderstanding, on top of constantly harassed by everybody around.

"Right… sorry..." Rin apologized, "I just didn't--”

"Of course you didn't." For the first time that day, Haru smiled. It wasn't exactly a happy one, but one of understanding. Rin could see that Haru was holding back a lot of emotion. For a second, Rin wondered if this wasn't the first time Haru had broken a promise and had regretted it. "You were doing what you thought was right."

Rin smiled back and patted Haru's back. "C'mon, we have somewhere to go."

Haru rolled his eyes. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

-

It felt like an hour walk from the restaurant to wherever they were going to. Haru was getting more and more irritated by the second. He was about ready to snap when they passed by a hospital when suddenly, Makoto stopped. He turned around to face the group. His jade eyes met sapphire eyes for only a second, but Haru still felt like he was being lifted off the ground. He doesn't think that feeling will ever go away.

"I have somebody that I want to visit here." Makoto announced. "Will you guys come with me?"

Haru was about to volunteer to stay behind, but Rin grabbed Haru's arm and dragged him inside. His red eyes seemed to say  _ Oh no you don't _ . The black haired man didn't have enough time to protest or struggle against Rin.

Makoto nervously glanced at Haru before looking at Rin. As if Makoto was sending a message to Rin, the redhead nodded. The brunette seemed to relax a bit and laid a hand on Rin's shoulder.

"I have to go and do something," Makoto excused himself, "so can you guys entertain her for me while I'm gone?"

"Sure thing," Sousuke answered as Rin began dragging Haru down the corridors of the hospital.

What were they doing? Why were they dragging him down the halls like this? Why did Makoto suddenly excuse himself? Nothing made sense in Haru's head. They stopped in front of a door marked with the number 127.

"Makoto originally wanted to come alone with you but since… you know what... he asked us to bring you here," Rin explained.

Haru looked at the door confused. What could possibly be on the other side? More importantly, why did Makoto want to bring him here?

"Look, despite everything, Makoto still wants you to go through the door. He's been planning this for days and he doesn't want to give it all up just because of last night," Sousuke added.

"Haru, please, if you care about Makoto at all, just go," Rin pleaded.

What a stupid statement. He'll always care about Makoto. The black haired man reached forward and slowly turned the knob. He opened the door and stepped through.

The door opened to a hallway, with even more doors along the corridor. Haru could see nurses and doctors bustling along the hallway. To the far left was a bench and a girl with a hoodie was sitting there, her head down. She was wringing her hands as if she was nervously waiting. Haru walked down the hallway and the sound of his footsteps made her lift her head.

The action caused a slip of her hair to fall out. It was a familiar shade of brown, but was wavy compared to what he was familiar with. The girl stood up and unveiled her hood, revealing more of her long wavy brown hair.

For a second Haru paused to stare at her. He still couldn't see her face, but she looked awfully familiar. 

The girl faced Haru and smiled, a smile he's known for centuries. Sky blue eyes met ocean blue ones for the first time in a century.

"Aki?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm 100% positive a lot of you guys were expecting them to make up in this chapter and were disappointed, but I promise it'll be soon! Just bear with the bs just a little longer :')
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! :D


	15. Second Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 23rd, 2016: Haru meets an old friend of his again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN FOREVER OH MY GOD. My school year has just started and not only do I have hard classes, SATs, and the ACTs, but I'm also doing theater this fall so I have 0 time to write. My beta is also busy, in fact this isn't beta'd I'm just posting to satisfy you guys since last chapter was updated TWO FREAKING MONTHS AGO. 
> 
> Anyways, despite the fact that I'm a mess, here you go! Enjoy! <3

_ Aki is alive. _

Those were the first words that came into Haru's mind when he locked eyes with her. She was actually alive, after all this time.

"Aki?" he asked in a hushed voice.  _ What was she doing here? _

"Aki?" the girl replied with a frown. "I'm not Aki."

"Sorry..." Was Haru going crazy? Was he having such a bad day that he was imagining his best friend? "You looked like an old friend of mine..."

"You're... Nanase, right?" she asked. Haru nodded.

She held out her hand, the all too familiar smile on her face. "I'm Hiroko, Aki's daughter."

He shook her hand. He was holding Aki's  _ daughter's _ hand. Haru had figured that his childhood friend had children, but he never imagined he would ever meet them. And yet there he was, today of all days, shaking hands with one of them.

"Why..." Haru wasn't sure how to finish the sentence. He had a lot of questions. Why was she there? Why did she know who he was? Why was he in a hospital with this girl in the first place?

"Tachibana contacted me a few days ago," she explained. "He told me that you were an old friend of Aki's and you wanted to see her."

Haru didn't really want to see her. It pained him that his best friend, the only one who had been with him since the very beginning was slowly fading away.

"She's right down the hallway," Hiroko offered. "If you want to see her… I'll lead you."

She pointed down the corridor and Haru's eyes followed the direction she was pointing towards.

"It's alright if you don't want to go," she stated. "It's totally up to you."

Haru shook his head. "No, I'll go."

She led him down the hallway to a slightly closed door, lightly knocking on it. There was an inaudible sound and Hiroko turned to Haru.

"Wait here a second," she instructed before entering the room.

Haru stood at the door, able to hear bits of the conversation.

"Mama? There's somebody here for you," Hiroko said.

Haru could make out what sounded like person talking, but couldn't hear the words.

"Of course Mama," the girl responded. "I'll bring them in a second."

Hiroko came out into the hallway and ushered Haru in. Upon entering, Haru momentarily forgot he was in a hospital. The entrance resembled a studio apartment. The walls were painted pastel shades of yellow and blue. To Haru's left, there was a granite counter with a silver sink and a black mini fridge under the counter. To his right, there was a yellow curtain that was drawn back enough for Haru to see traces of what appeared to be a bathroom.

There was a slight gasp coming from the back of the room and Hiroko pushed Haru toward the sound. As he approached the area, he was met with sky blue eyes.

_ Real _ sky blue eyes. The eyes that belonged to the same girl he's known since he was little. However, age has overcome the woman lying before him. Her once brown hair was now silver and white, accentuated with brown highlights. The youthful face of an 18 year old girl had developed into a completely mature and wrinkled one.

"I knew you'd come," Her once boisterous voice was now slower and raspy.

Hiroko clapped her hands and began exiting the room. "Well, I'll leave you two alone."

Haru approached the bed, not sure how to respond. It had been so long since they had last seen each other, and their last encounter didn't end with the well for either of them. In fact, wasn't he supposed to apologize for what he had done?

"I was hoping you'd come by sometime," Aki croaked, smiling the same smile she's always had. "It's been what? 90 years? It’s about time."

Haru turned to the woman who was slowly sitting herself up. It became immediately apparent she was struggling. Her body was too weak to do it on her own. Haru quickly came up to her and helped her sit up on the bed.

"You shouldn't be forcing yourself."

Aki smiled and waved him off. "I'm fine, Haru."

He shook his head in disbelief. What was so he worried about? She's the same Aki he knew a century ago. Haru smiled and patted Aki's hand.

"Of course."

From the corner of his eye he spotted a picture frame displayed on a table a few steps away. He walked toward it and picked up the frame to study the photograph. The photograph consisted of five people. Aki was one of them, who appeared to be in her late thirties. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was smiling, the most wonderful smile Haru's ever seen. Standing next to her was a tall man with the curliest blonde hair he's ever seen. Those brown eyes of his stared at the camera shyly, as if he wasn't used to the camera. He looked to be about Aki's age. In front of the couple were three teenagers. One of them was a younger version of Aki. Was that Hiroko? Next to her was a boy with brown hair and brown eyes. He resembled the man just like Hiroko resembled her mother. On the other side of Hiroko, was a blonde girl with blue eyes. She looked like the youngest of the three. Her hair was even in pigtails. The blonde girl looked familiar, though he couldn't think of who she looked like.

"Is this your family?" Haru asked.

Aki looked at the photograph and smiled. "Yes."

"They're beautiful," Haru glanced down at the photograph before setting it down again on the stand. "What are their names?"

Aki pointed to the boy. "That's my son, Gabriel. He currently lives in Germany." Aki's smile widened. "He's the CEO of a major company over there. Sweetest boy you'll ever meet. He is always helping people out. He has a lot of money so he is constantly giving back to the community. Gabriel has also spoken out for racial equality a few times. He encourages his employees and colleagues to do the same. He is greatly admired by the youth over there." She looked up at Haru, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so, so proud of him."

Haru placed a hand on Aki's. "I would be too. He sounds like a wonderful person."

Aki then pointed to the blonde girl. "My youngest child Erica. She currently lives in the United States. Last thing I heard from her was that she is in college. She's constantly changing her profession. She sort of reminded me of you. She wants to experience everything all at once."

Haru felt a pang of guilt and began to speak. "Aki...I'm so--”

The elder woman shook her head. "Don't. It's all in the past. You wanted to live a life different from me. I could held a grudge against you for not wanting to live the same life, but that'll just leave me bitter. Besides, isn't that a bit immature?" Haru was frozen for a moment, shocked at her words, "Yes, I was upset that you didn't stay. I was furious that you never even  _ tried _ to contact me throughout all these years. But you know what? Everything was your choice. I had learned overtime that I had to respect that. And I still do. So please, don't apologize."

Haru narrowed his eyes. "That's not fair. I spent 90 years filled with guilt. I broke my best friend's heart. You're like a sister to me. And I completely walked out of your life over selfish reasons. You deserve, at the very least, an apology."

"You being here again is enough." Aki leaned over and pointed to Hiroko on the photograph. "She's the eldest. She's currently a neurosurgeon. She's the best in Europe, and I’m not saying that because I am her mother. She took a break in order to take care of me. Her name is Hiroko. She's the one who led you in here."

Haru smiled. "She looks exactly like you. I mistook her for you when I first saw her."

"She does?" Aki asked. "Will always told me she did, but I always thought he was joking."

"Will?"

"Oh, my husband," she pointed to the blonde man. She rested her chin in her hands and her expression turned into a dream like state. "Oh Will… Haru, you would have loved him. He had the best manners in the whole world. And he was so generous. I'm positive Gabriel got that from him. He was also smart. My dream of having a bakery wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him." Then her expression turned blue. "He died twenty years ago."

Haru wasn't sure what to say. He knew that a lot of people said 'I'm sorry' but it just didn't sound appropriate. It was a long time ago and he knew saying that wouldn't change anything. Why would you be sorry for somebody who has died? It wasn’t like saying that to a person would help them get over their grief. Haru knew if he grieving, he would hate for someone to say that. So instead, he decided against giving his condolences. "He sounded perfect for you. I bet the moment you met him in France, you knew he was your soulmate."

Aki shook her head. "I didn't know it at first but he did. We actually met a bit before we left for France. I was attracted to him at first, but I had no idea why. A few days after arriving in France, I ran into him. He told me he had been looking for me. Will came all the way from across the world, probably spent his whole life savings, just to see me again. He then told me that we're soulmates. I laughed at him at first, I didn't believe it. But I immediately felt guilty after I laughed. I wasn't sure why I felt guilty, but I still rejected him. He immediately backed off, and I was glad he had a respect for boundaries. However, I realized what I was feeling wasn't guilt, it felt more like a thousand knives stabbing me all at once and repeatedly stabbing. I realized that this feeling was something like a pull. There was a rope that connected between me and my soulmate. And every time I rejected or walked another direction the pull would tighten, telling me that I was doing it wrong. It took weeks, but I realized he was my soulmate. It was funny, the night after realizing it I ran into him again. I confessed to him." She laughed. It was a weak one that sounded like it would turn into a cough at any moment. "He was 18 when we first met. Like, actually 18. Can you imagine? A 900 year old girl with an 18 year old boy?"

Haru smiled. "I'm glad he treated you well."

"How about you?" Aki prompted. "What have you been to?"

"Did Nagisa tell you anything?"

Aki nodded. "A few things, but I want to hear it from you."

Haru shrugged. "You know me. I traveled. I got to see the world. I went back to Japan a few years ago."

"You did?" Aki asked. "What's it like now?"

"Modern."

Aki laughed. This laugh was less fragile than the first. "Only you would be so vague."

Haru turned his head away from his best friend. "Don't make fun of me. Besides, I only stayed there for a bit. I'm attending a college in the United States at the moment."

"You are?" Aki's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I'm studying Art," Haru answered, "and I live in an apartment right outside of New York. I share the place with a guy who is studying Literature there."

"What's he like?"

"Makoto?" Haru blushed. "He's tall. He has brown hair and green eyes. He's really kind and caring but sometimes he can get meddlesome. When we first met, he was a terrible cook but I have helped him a bit. He's still terrible though. He is always praising me for my work. Sometimes he helps me with my essays. We also go out with friends together. He's a great guy. He's--”

Haru stopped mid-sentence when he saw Aki's concerned face. He stared at her in confusion until her hand cupped his face. Her thumb brushed the bottom lid of his eye. The gesture reminded him of a mother comforting her child, after they have fallen off a bike and scraped their knee.

"You looked like you were about to cry." She said softly, gracelessly letting her hand drop to the side as she looked at him with an expression Haru has never seen on her before. Was she being cautious?

"I..." Haru wasn't sure what to say. His head was filled with memories of Makoto. He was reliving every moment he's ever spent with Makoto all at the same time. He was thinking about the first moment he looked into those eyes. He was thinking about the first time they shared a bed. He was remembering all the talks they had during dinner and the hasty mornings they had. He thought about all the times Makoto ever smiled. Every single gesture Makoto made when the brunette was excited about something. Haru remembered the day before, his hand in Makoto's at the top of the Eiffel Tower, looking down at the city below. He remembered his failed attempt to confess to Makoto and the words of the man he loved.

_ You're just my roommate. _

How dare he say that. After  _ everything _ . After all the nights they spent talking about personal things and the times they took care of each other. After all the times they went out together. Hell, even the times they were just enjoying each other's presence. After all that, Makoto didn’t even view him as a friend, but as a  _ roommate _ .

Haru could feel tears starting to form and he tried to stop them from falling. He couldn’t let himself cry. Not even in front of Aki. But the pain was too much. He just couldn't believe how much of a fool he was. 

"Hey..." Aki began rubbing Haru's back, "It's okay. You're fine..."

Haru didn't say anything but laid his head on the bed, weakly grasping the blankets.

"Do you love him?"

"Yes," Haru croaked. "More than anything."

"Does he know that? Did you tell him? Or did you just do something stupid like kiss him and panic when he didn't kiss you back?"

Haru looked up, his eyes meeting Aki's. "How did you…?”

"I know you, Haru."

Haru almost chuckled. 90 years apart wouldn't change centuries of knowing each other, "Yeah, you do."

"Which is why I think you should go and talk to him." Aki instructed. "And don't say you already did. We both know that's a lie."

"Aki--”

"And don't run away from him either. You have a tendency to do that." Aki chastised. She removed her hands from Haru's back and grasped Haru's hand. "Just listen to what he has to say. Start a whole new life with him."

"What?" Haru had no idea what Aki was talking about.

She lifted Haru's face and her sky blue eyes sparkled. "There is more to experiencing the world than just travelling. Have you ever tried living? It's not just settling down for a bit and then continuing your old ways. It's buying a home to decorate for yourself with your soulmate. It's kissing your soulmate before heading out for work. It's holding your child's hand when you take them to their first day of school. Haru, I'm begging you, please don't run away from him."

"Aki," Haru began, "You know I don't--”

"Please," the elder woman begged. "You ran away from me and you ended up regretting it. And if history repeats, he'll also feel hurt. You don't want that right?"

"No," Haru answered, "I would do anything to prevent him from getting hurt."

"Then you know what you have to do." And like always, Aki was right.

"I should get going," Haru began to stand up. "I'm glad to see you again."

Before Haru could leave Aki grabbed his wrist. "Wait!"

Haru turned to his best friend who was smiling sadly. "May I… ask for a favor?"

Haru nodded.

"My children," Aki began, "they are all adults and are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, but they are still so young. They have so much to learn."

"Aki, what are you--”

"Look after them for me."

"Aki..." Haru warned, after all the promises he had broken, he didn't want to make another one. "You know I can't make prom--”

Aki cupped Haru's face. "I'm really sick. I'm going to die soon. They need somebody to guide them. And there is nobody else on earth who is a better fit for the role than you. You don't have to promise me anything. I just want to know you'll at least try."

He didn’t want to make another promise. He didn’t want to lie to her. But the way his best friend looked at him broke his heart. This was the last time he would ever see her. The  _ official _ last time. It was his second chance to say a goodbye. He wanted it to end on a good note.

"I'll try."

And he really meant it. He'll try to talk to them whenever he can. He will offer them advice when they ask for it. Haru will invite them over to his apartment and spend time with them. Just like he should've from the beginning.

Aki's smile brightened. "I knew you would."

"Alright," Haru began to step away. "You should probably rest."

She laughed. "Take care of yourself Haru."

"Yeah."

He began to walk away and could the rustling of sheets. Aki must have laid down and began to rest. However, there was something holding him back. He turned around and studied the elder woman, who had already begun to sleep.

"Aki," he said as he walked up to the bed, "there's one more thing I need to tell you."

"Yes?" she asked, slowly opening her eyes.

Haru leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."

Her sky blue eyes widened. "H-Haru..." Suddenly her eyes began to brim with tears as she wrapped her arms around Haru’s neck. "I love you too!"

Haru was smiling, probably the biggest smile he's ever worn his whole life as he hugged her back. They stayed like for a few minutes until Haru noticed he  _ really _ had to go.

"Bye Haru," Aki said as she went to lay on her bed again.

"I'll see you."

Eyes the color of the ocean met the sky one last time. The eldest man and woman on earth saying goodbye for the last time.

"I'll be waiting for you." She whispered as Haru exited the room.

Haru shut the door behind him and found Hiroko across the hallway, leaning against a wall. She had her hoodie up again and speaking to somebody on the phone.

Her eyes caught Haru’s and she spoke quickly into the phone. "Okay, yeah, I gotta hang up, we'll talk when I pick you up at the airport tomorrow Gabe. Bye." She hung up with whoever she was speaking to and turned to Haru. "Sorry about that. That was my brother calling."

Haru nodded in acknowledgement.

"So," she began, "about my mother..."

"You look just like her." Haru commented.

"I do?" Even though her hood casted a shadow across her face, Hiroko's blush was still visible. "I was never told that before."

"You've never seen a picture of her when she was younger?" Haru asked.

"No," Hiroko shook her head. "At least, not one I remember."

Haru thought back about that picture from Paris that he had of her. She's not the only one in it, but it is the most recent picture Haru had of her. Perhaps he should show it to her daughter sometime in the future.

"Anyways, we're not here to talk about me." the brunette said, "Let's talk about you." She fished her hand into the pocket of her jeans and took out a piece of crumbled paper. She unwrapped it and handed it to Haru, faced down. "You remember Nagisa Hazuki right?"

Haru nodded, his eyes curiously eyeing the paper in his hand.

"He gave me this the last time he visited. That was 30 years ago. Turn it over."

Haru’s eyes widened when he turned the paper over. The slip of paper wasn't a paper, but a photograph. It was a picture of Nagisa and Haru at a beach. Nagisa had on shades and held an ice pop in his hand. Haru was next to him holding a different colored ice pop, glaring at Nagisa. 

"My mother, before she was sick, rarely talked about her life before meeting my father. She did mention you a few times though. But it was never to me. She always asked about you when Uncle Nagisa came. I went to ask him about you but he never said anything..." Hiroko said. "But he gave me this. It's all I ever had for years. The mystery of Haruka Nanase. This was the only thing that proved you were a real person. And then mom got sick. She suffered memory loss. There would be days when she would wake up and demand for you only. She didn't even know who I was, her own daughter. Lucky for you, you came here on a good day when all of her memories are intact. Tomorrow? She might think she's back in Japan when she was a little girl or she might think it's the 1960s."

"Why did you want to know who I was so badly?" Haru asked.

Hiroko smiled. "Curiosity. My father always said it's the key to being free."

Haru was about to ask what that meant, but Hiroko’s arms were soon wrapped around Haru.

"Welcome to the family Haru."

Haru laughed as he pat the hair that reminded him so much of his childhood friend. "I've always been a part of the family."

Hiroko smiled and parted from the black haired man. "Yes, you have."

He could see her eyes were beginning to water and Haru remembered a night, a night from so long ago that ended in a sight like this. Tears. He doesn't want to ever repeat that.

"What will you do?" Haru asked her cautiously.

Hiroko shrugged, "I don't know... I'm sick of Europe. I want to leave this place. But I don't know where to go. My mother always knew what to do. I'm… lost."

This was his second chance. To make everything right. To make up for his biggest mistake. Taking a deep breath, Haru looked at Hiroko, and said, "When you're ready, you can come to New York." 

Her sky blue eyes widened. "New York? Haru, I don't think--”

"It's okay, I live there." Haru assured. "There's an extra room you can stay in. I'm sure my roommate wouldn't mind. We can help you settle down or whatever you'd like."

Hiroko stared at Haru in shock, which shortly melted into a smile. "I'll think about it. But first!" The girl began to push Haru down the hallway. "You have to go. Your friends are probably waiting for you."

Haru smiled. "I know."

He had something else he needed to fix.

"I wish you well, Haruka!" Hiroko called out.

"Same here." Haru responded as he opened the door that took him out of that place.

Haru wasn't sure how long he had been there. He had been expecting Rin and Sousuke on the other side. He certainly didn't expect Makoto to be alone on the other side, sat against the wall and nervously looking off into the distance. At the sound of the door shutting, those beautiful jade eyes immediately turned toward Haru. Haru's heart swelled with joy.

_ He waited for him. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unedited but I will post the edited version once finished! Also, my earlier chapters have been edited so you should check them out!
> 
> And I have up to chapter 20 written and ready to be edited so when my beta has them done they will be posted!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! :D


	16. Hands Over Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 24, 2016: Makoto and Haru have a talk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE, HANUKKAH, KWANZAA, WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE, EVERYBODY!  
>  Sorry about being so late! On the bright side, I'll post Chapter 17 tomorrow because that's been edited too!
> 
> Enjoy!

Makoto wasn't sure what he was going to say to Haru when his roommate returned. He spent the whole day trying to explain to Haru but was ultimately ignored. His roommate almost dragged him into a full blown argument at one point. What made things worse was that he knew how Haru was feeling. Haru thought Makoto had rejected him and was hurting because of it. He can understand why Haru kept his distance. But it wasn't the case; it was all a big misunderstanding. Makoto just chose to say the wrong words.

He met up with Rin and Sousuke once he was sure Haru went to see Aki and told the couple to go home. They both wished him luck. Makoto waited an hour for Haru to come out. It had gotten to the point that Makoto was imagining every single possible situation and repercussion to where he wanted to take things.

Now that he knew Haru liked him back, Makoto didn’t have to worry about rejection. The difficult part was  _ how  _ he was going to tell Haru. He refused to even look at him, how was he going to convince him about the night before?

Makoto was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Haru stepping out of the hallway. It wasn't until the door had closed that Makoto brought his attention to Haru.

The sapphire eyes he had grown to love stared at him in surprise. Was Haru expecting something else? Of course he was. Haru thought he only viewed him as a  _ roommate _ .

_You're just my roommate._ What the hell was he thinking? Makoto couldn't believe those words even came out of his mouth. And the hurt Haru had on his face, _oh god_ _why_ out of everything he could have said in that moment, he said that?

"How long was I in there?" Haru asked after what felt like the longest second of Makoto's life.

"Not long," the brunette answered, beginning to stand up. "Just an hour."

Haru widened his eyes, not expecting to have taken so long. He looked away, sullenly. "Sorry..."

"It's fine," Makoto assured. If waiting that long meant Haru could patch up his issues with an old friend, Makoto felt like it was worth it.

"Where are the others?" Haru asked in that same quiet voice as before.

"I told Sousuke and Rin to go ahead. I waited for you by myself." Makoto answered, offering his hand to Haru. "Should we get going?"

The smaller man froze, sapphire eyes studying Makoto. The brunette couldn't tell if Haru was like that because of Makoto, or because Makoto had offered his hand. The brunette wouldn't be able to think about it for too long because Haru nodded and started walking away, ignoring Makoto's hand.

They walked through the hallways in silence. Neither of them could think of something to say to each other. Haru then suddenly turned to Makoto.

"You… did all of this," Makoto knew his friend was asking a question, but it came out as more of a statement.

"Yeah," Makoto said sheepishly.

Haru's sapphire eyes met Makoto's jade ones for a second before turning away and continuing to walk. "Thank you."

Outside of the hospital, the sun was already beginning to set, the red and yellow hues of the afternoon present in the sky. It was windier than earlier as well. The air was so cold, Makoto could feel his cheeks beginning to numb. He cursed himself for forgetting his scarf at home.

"Brrr," Makoto shivered. "It's really cold."

Haru huffed. "It's not that bad."

"I don't know how you could withstand it when you're dressed like  _ that _ ."

Haru tugged on his sweatshirt and eyed Makoto's jacket. "It's been a warm December, I'll be fine."

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't wear proper--”

Makoto shook his head, realizing his chastising would only fall on deaf ears. "Never mind."

They walked down the streets of Paris, admiring everything there was to see. Ran's apartment was on the other side of the city, and the two men had agreed that they wanted to take their time on their way back. As they continued their walk, the sun began to set. Over time, the fiery hues of the sky had turned into purple and blue and had gotten so dark, the lights of the city came on; not only the street lights but also the Christmas lights.

The two men had stopped and stared at their surroundings in awe the moment the lights came on. Every single street lamp was adorned with a reef with a shiny red bow and bells that rung lightly. Blue lights were softly illuminating the trees. Many buildings had lights decorated on them with patterns ranging from poinsettias to snowflakes and Santa's sleigh. Between the buildings, hovering over every street was a set of lights, arranged in an intricate pattern that it created an arch. Identical arches appeared behind each one as the pair walked down the street.

"Haru!" Makoto called out in amazement. "Look at this!"

He turned to face the black haired man whose sapphire eyes studied everything with awe. His mouth was slightly agape and his cheeks were flushed from the cold.

Makoto had decided that even though the lights of Paris were beautiful, Haru was an even more beautiful sight. The brunette chuckled at the thought of that and those sapphire eyes were on him again.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Makoto asked.

Haru's lips went upward, showing the slightest hint of a smile. Those sapphire eyes were shining again, just like they had done the night before at the top of the Eiffel Tower. It felt like it was a repeat of the night before, from the moment they had left off, the unfinished business finally getting resolved. The unique strand of silver hair on Haru's head again glimmered in the light, taunting Makoto to just reach out and play with it again.

In that one shining moment, Makoto swore, they both had forgotten what happened between them. It was just the two of them again, on the borderline of becoming something more, basking in the presence of each other.

The moment is quickly lost when the sound of a cellphone goes off. Both men jumped in surprise and scrambled for their phones. It turned out to be Makoto's phone that rang, his little sister's name flashing on the screen.

"Hey Ran," Makoto answered. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Ran replied. "I was just wondering what you were up to."

"Oh nothing really," Makoto said, glancing at Haru who had gotten back to admiring the lights, "Haru and I were just looking at the lights."

"Oh, they're lovely aren't they?" Ran asked in a joyful voice.

Makoto smiled at Haru when he answered. "The loveliest."

"Okay well, it's already dark outside, so be careful okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you Onii-chan."

"I love you too."

Makoto hung up on the phone and found that Haru's attention was back on the brunette. Makoto smiled and Haru's cheeks flushed. He abruptly turned his head away and Makoto laughed.

"We should probably start heading back," the shorter man said and started to walk away.

Makoto watched him go for a few moments, watching his figure blend in with the scenery. He can't help but think of how Haru would try to keep his distance from Makoto unless he did something. He didn’t want Haru to stay away, he wanted him by his side forever.

"Hey!" Makoto called out as he began to catch up with the black haired man. "Wait up!"

Haru turned his head back, a smirk forming on his lips. "That's your fault for being too slow."

Makoto and Haru arrived at the apartment long after the night had completely fallen. Ran greeted them, already in her pajamas, and made dinner for them. Once the dinner was ready, Ran left to go to bed.

"Goodnight Onii-chan." Ran hugged her older brother and then she turned to Haru and politely smiled, "You too Haru."

As if something bad had happened, Haru's eyes widened in panic for a few moments before he nodded. Ran must have noticed because her expression darkened before saying, "Don't forget."

Haru nodded, taking a sip of his drink. And Ran turned, starting to walk away, "Enjoy your dinner boys!"

Without the presence of Ran, their dinner was a lot more quiet than before. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable but it didn't feel quite right either. Usually, their silence was relaxing as if their presence was enough for each other. Now it felt like the normalcy was fake or fragile as if anything can change the tone.

"Ran is a good cook," Haru commented quietly, breaking the silence.

"Mhm," Makoto agreed.  _ But not as good as you,  _ he added in his head.

Haru looked down. "Aki taught me everything I know about cooking." There was a small sad smile on his face. "She was a great teacher." He set down his fork and looked up at Makoto. "I bet by now you would be a better cook if she had taught you."

Makoto could hear what the actual words were behind that.  _ I wish you could have gotten to know her. _

Makoto smiled. "You're a good teacher too. I'm just a hopeless case."

Haru took a sip of his drink and averted his eyes. "She has a daughter that looks exactly like her. Even has some of the same mannerisms. I thought she was Aki when I saw her at first."

Makoto laughed. "Only you would think that."

Haru huffed. "Shut up." _ I haven't seen her in forever. _

Before Makoto could respond, his phone rang. He smiled apologetically at Haru before answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Makoto." Rin greeted. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

"Oh no! You're fine. Haru and I were just finishing our dinner."

"This late at night? Oh never mind, I was wondering about how it went with Aki."

Makoto looked at Haru who was starting to clean up the table. "I think things are a lot better now."

"That's good to hear," Rin sighed in relief. "Well, we're here for another three days. Are you guys planning on doing something special tomorrow?"

"No, why would we do something special tomorrow?"

"Well...tomorrow is Christmas Eve, right?"

He completely forgot about the fact that Christmas was only hours away. He had been so wrapped up with Haru's problems, he forgot about it.

"Oh! Right..." Makoto answered, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh my god. Makoto, do not tell me you forgot about Christmas."

Makoto nervously laughed.

"I might have for a second...but I promise I'll think of something." Makoto answered." You can come if you want."

"You know I'll be there idiot, that's why I asked." Rin laughed.

Makoto smiled. "I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Yeah."

Haru was waiting across the room when Makoto approached him. Haru was already beginning to fight sleep, his sapphire eyes drooping every few seconds as he began to nod off. As soon as he realizes it, his head snaps up and he forces his eyes open wider. It was very subtle that only Makoto would notice it. But it was endearing nonetheless.

"Haru," Makoto said as he approached the black haired man. Those sapphire eyes locked onto Makoto's and the brunette smiled. "I should probably go to bed now, it’s almost midnight."

Haru nodded. "I should go as well."

"Good night Haru."

"Good night."

The sun's rays peeked through the window in Makoto's room and cast a blueish glow from the curtains. It was still relatively dark in the room, but there was enough light to see. It was enough to wake Makoto up. He groggily sat up on his bed and began to hear the sound of somebody moving around in the kitchen. Makoto looked at the clock and saw that it was only 9 in the morning. Compared to the night before, where he spent a good hour trying to get Haru to come out of his room and then spent the rest of the night curled up in his bed crying, he had slept a lot happier. However, he knew not everything was resolved and that it had to be done soon.

He rolled off the bed and reached for the knob when he heard voices. Makoto stopped to listen.

"You don't have a Christmas tree up." Along with Haru's voice was the sound of the sink.

"Yeah." Ran laughed. "I don't have time to set the one I have up."

"Makoto and I did ours at the apartment, we can do yours."

There was the sound of clanging, possibly the dishes.

"That sounds like a good idea." Ran agreed. "Do you know if Rin and Sousuke are coming?"

"Dunno. Ask Makoto."

The sink stopped abruptly and there was silence for a moment.

"By the way..." Ran's voice was quieter than before and Makoto struggled to hear her. "Did you and my brother make up?"

Makoto shook his head and cast his eyes down to the floor. He hasn't even explained and apologized to Haru. Although things seemed to be on the right track, they haven't gotten to the point where they should be.

Haru must have shook his head because Ran replied, "Really? The two of you seemed better last night."

"We haven't talked about it," Haru responded, "but there isn't a need to. I already know."

_ What did Haru know? _

"Figures..." Ran sighed, the sink turning on again.

Makoto turned the knob and opened the door at that moment, effectively ending their conversation. The brunette walked down the hallway until he passed the glass doors that lead to the balcony. He was greeted with the sight of Ran doing the dishes and Haru sitting on the counter behind her, a wet towel in his hand. Ran was wearing sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt, with the sleeves rolled up. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun. Haru was still in his pajamas and had his hair all disheveled as if he had just gotten out of bed.

"Good morning Onii-chan!" Ran waved excitedly to her brother. "Haru and I were just doing the dishes before making breakfast."

"Morning," Makoto said with a smile and turned to Haru. "Good morning Haru."

Haru nodded. "I just woke up too."

"Haru and I were talking about setting up the tree today since it’s Christmas Eve. Are you in?" Ran asked as she handed the wet dish to Haru. The black haired man dried it before placing it on top of another dry dish beside him.

"Sure, I'll get the stuff. Where are they?"

"The third to last door on the left side of the hallway," his sister responded.

"Alright!" Makoto began to walk down the hallway before walking quickly back. "Rin and Sousuke are likely to come for dinner tonight, is that okay with you guys?"

"They're always welcome to come whenever," Ran said as Haru nodded.

After Makoto had brought out all the Christmas decorations, Haru and Ran had already started cooking breakfast. After breakfast, they began setting up the tree and decorating the rest of the apartment. Makoto and Haru worked mostly on the tree while Ran hung wreaths, placed snow globes and strung lights across the apartment. It took them long enough that by the time they all finished, Ran had to start preparing the dinner.

When Makoto and Haru had finished, they took a step back to admire the tree they had worked on. The tree was at least 6 feet high and was styled in a way that looked like the tree had snow on its branches. The ornaments were red and gold, with the occasional splash of silver. Spiraling around the tree were red and gold ribbons. Makoto had to give credit to Haru, he had a good eye for making places look straight out of magazines. The tree was no exception. 

"We should probably help Ran cook," Makoto said after admiring the tree.

"Or we can go to the balcony for a bit," Haru suggested as he pointed towards the balcony. "Look, it's snowing."

Makoto looked at the balcony and agreed. There was snow falling. It wasn't much, but then again, it hadn’t snowed at all that December.

"Makoto." Haru grabbed the brunette's wrist and began to drag him to the balcony.

"But won't it be cold outside?" Makoto protested.

Haru picked up a pair of gloves and a scarf that was by the glass doors and gave them to Makoto. "Wear these then."

Makoto barely had enough time to put them on before Haru dragged him outside. The brunette was right. It was freakishly cold outside and he doesn't think he'll be able to stay outside for long, but Haru's hand around Makoto's wrist felt warmer than the gloves and scarf. He wanted Haru to hold his hand forever.

"Makoto." Haru began. "Do you remember the day we first met?"

Of course he does, how could he forget? It was the first time he had ever laid eyes on the love of his life. Forget about soulmates, they were meant for each other.

"Yes. It seems like it was a long time ago," Makoto laughed and Haru rolled his eyes. "I feel like everything has happened since I met you."

"Everything?"

"Everything." The brunette turned to face the sapphire eyes of Haruka Nanase. The snow had begun to cling to Haru's hair. His cheeks and nose were red from the cold, and his lips were beginning to darken. Immediately, concerned flared in Makoto. "Haru? Are you cold?"

The black haired man shook his head, "I'm fine." But as soon as he finished, he sneezed.

"See? You're not fine!" The brunette took off his scarf and began wrapping it around Haru's neck. "There. That should keep you warm."

Haru glowered at Makoto. "Like a scarf is going to do anything."

"Then how about this?" Makoto wrapped his arms around Haru and pulled him closer so that Haru's head rested on his chest. Immediately the shorter male blushed, his sapphire eyes widening. Haru then made a face that was close to exasperation and Makoto chuckled. "Is this better?"

Haru let out an annoyed sigh before bringing up his hands to clench Makoto's sweater. He hid his face from Makoto by burying himself into the sweater. "Shut up."

"But you have to admit it is a lot warmer now, right?" It had to be. Makoto himself was feeling warmer by holding Haru just like this.

Haru moved his head and hands that were gripping the sweater tightened. There was a moment of silence as if he was reconsidering it. Then suddenly, in a soft voice, he said, "Yes."

They stood there for a few moments in silence. Makoto realized that the opportunity to officially make up with Haru had come. He shifted his arm and ran a hand down Haru's hair.

_ Just say it. _ He told himself.  _ Tell him you love him. Explain everything. _

"Haru, there is something I need to tell you," Makoto said.

"Hmm?"

"Haru, I know I sounded like a complete ass the other day, but I just wanted to tell you that I--”

"Onii-chan! Haru!" Ran called out. Makoto's little sister stepped out onto the balcony and immediately rubbed her arms. "Geez, it’s cold outside, you guys need to get inside and start getting ready. Rin just called and said we all have to look decent."

"Right," Makoto let go of Haru and turned to Haru apologetically. Haru nodded, understanding that the conversation would continue later on.

"When are they coming?" Haru asked.

"In about an hour."

"Perfect." Makoto smiled as he left the balcony.

After a quick shower, scavenging for a 'decent' outfit and spending several minutes fussing over his hair, Makoto stood in front of his mirror and decided he looked decent enough. He wore a green collar shirt and jeans. There was a knock on the door and Makoto opened it to see Haru wearing a blue collar shirt that was unbuttoned and dress pants. His sapphire eyes locked onto Makoto's.

"You're ready too, huh?" Makoto asked. Haru nodded.

"They're here," Haru said as he began to walk away from the door.

"Eh? H-Haru wait up!" Makoto said as he followed his roommate out.

When the hallway opened up to the living room, Ran was in the kitchen, still preparing the meal. Rin and Sousuke were sitting on the couch, their backs slightly turned to the couple behind them.

"Hey, guys," Rin said as they entered and turned around to with a toothy grin. "Ready for tonight?"

Sousuke turned around as well and politely nodded to the group. Haru nodded and looked up at Makoto as if to say,  _ Your friends, your problem _ .

"Hey guys," Makoto greeted and awkwardly waved a hand. "As you can see, Ran is still cooking so it may be a while before we can eat. " Makoto sat on a nearby loveseat and smiled. "So how was your day?"

"Good," Sousuke answered. "We went out shopping today to get some gifts for you guys."

"Yeah, we left them under the tree for you guys to open tomorrow," Rin added. "Merry Christmas Eve."

"Thank you," Makoto responded with a smile.

Haru nodded and muttered, "Merry Christmas Eve."

After that, they talked about other things, reminisced about previous visits, memories that they shared together. At one point the group began to discuss current events but was interrupted when Ran announced that dinner was ready.

The group gathered around the table and helped set up. Once finished everybody sat down. Rin and Sousuke sat next to each other while Makoto and Haru sat on the opposite side, Haru across from Rin and Makoto across from Sousuke. Ran sat at the head of the table, the side between her brother and Sousuke.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she said, "There's plenty of food for everyone so dig in!"

"Thank you for this food." The four men said before beginning to take food.

Makoto was impressed with how much food Ran had been able to prepare in such a short amount of time. There was even mackerel for Haru. The brunette settled on the pork, escargot, and curry. He had also taken some bread and taken a sample of the brie to spread unto the bread. Rin had taken some of the escargot as well, along with bacon wrapped scallop and steak. Sousuke had taken all the available meat. 

"This is really good Ran." Sousuke complimented.

"Thank you! But I wouldn't have been able to get this all done if it weren't for Haru."

Haru's brows lifted a bit as Ran met his eyes and smiled. The black-haired man turned his head away and mumbled, "I really didn't do much..."

"He did the mackerel, curry and the scallop that's wrapped in bacon." Ran lifted a piece of the scallop Haru has made and took a bite. "It's the best I've ever had!"

Makoto laughed. "Ran's right. Curry has always been my favorite, but Haru's are always the best."

Haru turned back to Makoto his mouth slightly agape as if he was surprised that Makoto would compliment Haru. Makoto's heart sank in realization that Haru might still have the other night repeating in his head whenever they were together.  _ Oh god, _ will he always be reminded of that night? The thought of Haru suffering for Makoto's mistake made Makoto's heart break.

Makoto smiled to reassure Haru and nodded. "I still have to try your scallop."

Haru reached out to grab one and offered to Makoto. "You can try it now...if you want to..."

"Yeah!" Makoto leaned over to Haru's hand, taking a bite of the bacon-wrapped scallop. Haru's eyes widened, not expecting to feed Makoto.

The shorter male averted his eyes away, blushing slightly as he fed his roommate. Makoto was astonished by how good the scallop tasted, smiling as he finished eating it.

"Oh my god..." Rin muttered under his breath. "They're even more annoying than those couples in the movies..."

Makoto wasn't sure if Haru heard Rin because he didn't have a snarky comeback, but Makoto figured Rin secretly wanted to do the same with Sousuke.

After dinner, the five of them decided to watch a movie while waiting for dessert.

"We should watch  _ A Christmas Story _ ." Rin suggested.

"No, I'm sick of that movie." Sousuke vetoed. "Let's watch  _ The Nightmare Before Christmas _ ."

"N-n-nightmare?" Makoto squeaked. He absolutely did not want to watch a horror movie on Christmas Eve.

"Why should we watch  _ The Nightmare Before Christmas _ ?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, I don't mind horror movies but my brother isn't a fan." Ran added.

Haru shrugged, indifferent to whatever the group would end up watching.

Sousuke rolled his eyes. "It's not even a horror movie, nor is it that scary. C'mon, it's a really good movie."

That is how Makoto found himself burying his head into one of Ran's pillows to hide from the movie when Ran finally called for dessert which was the yule log that Ran had bought earlier in the day. After dessert, Rin and Sousuke left since it was already late at night. Ran had excused herself to go to bed which left Haru and Makoto alone.

"Let's go outside. " Haru grabbed their coats, Makoto's gloves and scarf before tugging Makoto to the balcony. Makoto knew that Haru actually wanted to hear what Makoto didn't get to say earlier.

The cold air immediately enveloped Makoto and left him shivering. He quickly put on his coat and his gloves. Haru held his coat in his arms but didn't bother to put it on.

They leaned against the railing, their elbows touching as they laid on top of the beams. Haru was silent but he gave Makoto an expectant look, waiting for him to say what he never got to say earlier. The problem was that the confidence from earlier was long gone and Makoto wasn't sure what he wanted to say anymore. There was so much to say, and yet he had no idea what to start with. Suddenly a white speck came into his vision and it landed on Haru's hair. As more came down, Makoto lifted his hand and caught a few.

"It looks like we'll be having a white Christmas." Makoto said.

"Makoto," Haru said in a soft tone, "the other night... about what I did. I'm sorry."

Makoto froze.  _ No.  _ This was not Haru's fault. He shouldn't be the one apologizing. The brunette opened his mouth to say what he needed to, but nothing came out.

"I understand if you feel uncomfortable. It's like you said, you have a girlfriend and I'm just your roommate. If you want me to keep a distance, I'll do it. I just want you to know that I love you. I love you so much it hurts and I hope we can still be roommates. I'd rather have you as a friend than lose you. So  _ please _ ." Haru begged, his sapphire eyes looked like glass, as if they were about to crack any second. His nose and cheeks were rose from the cold and embarrassment. His black hair had flecks of white from the snow. Haru was always so beautiful and always loving and caring and everything Makoto loved.

Makoto must have taken too long to respond because Haru sighed in defeat, sapphire eyes finally breaking away from jade. The shorter male hung his head as he sighed and in a bitter tone he said. "Why do I even bother?"

Makoto reached out to Haru's wrist and leaned in till his lips were against Haru's. There was that familiar spark and that warmth that filled his whole body whenever he touched Haru. The kiss lasted longer than when Haru did it but it was still short lived. Haru was too stunned to respond so Makoto wasn't surprised that when he pulled away, Haru's eyes were wide and shining as if the life that had faded in them was coming back.

"You said we were just roommates." Haru whispered, as if he was still struggling to comprehend what happened.

Makoto rested his forehead against Haru's and moved his hand from his roommate's wrist to cup his face. "The other night… I'm the one who’s sorry. I was stuck in this position, forever believing that I fell for you and that you couldn't fall for me because we're not soulmates. So when my girlfriend asked me out... I thought it was a good opportunity to try and get over you." He stroked Haru's cheek with his thumb. "But I guess you know how that worked out."

"If you... loved me so much, why did you reject me?" Haru asked.

"I didn't reject you. I only looked for an excuse to not feel awful about a mistake I made."

"Am I a mistake?" Haru asked as his hand came on top of Makoto's.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened. I'm the one who made a mistake. I'm sorry, Haru."

That was enough to convince Haru. He tilted his head up and lifted his heels so that their lips could meet. Makoto immediately pressed back and felt the spark more intense than ever. Makoto forced open Haru's mouth and their tongues danced. This kiss was a lot more intense than the ones before. One of Makoto's hands slipped to the back of Haru's head; the other held Haru's waist. He could feel Haru's arms wrapping around his neck.

After what felt like forever Haru broke away, breathing heavily as he asked, "What about her?"

Makoto laughed as his hand on Haru's waist gently squeezed him. "Isn't the answer obvious? You're the only one I want. I love you."

Haru kissed Makoto again, tongues intertwining, hands roaming, feeling, touching. Their bodies moved in sync and molded perfectly as if they made for each other. After another long while they pulled apart, both catching their breaths, sapphire and jade eyes sharing a private conversation.

"What time is it?" Haru asked after a few seconds.

"Um..." Makoto pulled up the sleeves of his jacket to check the time. "Five minutes until midnight?"

"Be right back, stay here." Haru quickly pecked Makoto's cheek before darting back inside. A few minutes later, Haru came back out with two glasses filled with red wine and handed one to Makoto. The brunette took the glass and Haru smiled as he rose his glass. In the distance, the sound of a chapel far away began ringing the bells that indicated it was midnight.

"Merry Christmas, Makoto." Haru said, his eyes glowing with now what Makoto could identify as love.

"Merry Christmas, Haru." Makoto rose his glass and smiled. For the first time, Makoto felt absolutely relaxed, like every single problem in the whole world was solved. Perhaps, at least for the two men standing on a balcony in Paris having a toast for Christmas, it was.

The sound of the two glass clanking was in sync with the last chime of the bell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated! :D


	17. Day of Good Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 25, 2016: Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to all that celebrate it!
> 
> Enjoy!

The light peeking in through the window shone directly onto Haru's face. Although he still had his eyes closed, he could feel the warmth coming from it. He opened his eyes and shifted his head so that it rested on Makoto's chest. Makoto's hand immediately touched Haru's back and the taller male shifted so that they were both comfortable.

After drinking on the balcony they had spent the rest of the night in Makoto's room, making out until they could barely keep their eyes open. Even though Haru had a restless sleep from all of the excitement, it was the best night ever, in his opinion.

"Haru..." his lover yawned. "We should start getting up."

Haru pressed a kiss on the brunette's chest and closed his eyes. "I know... five more minutes."

"Haru..." Makoto whined, "you've been saying that for the past hour."

"So?" Haru stubbornly asked. "I want to be with you."

He felt Makoto's lips press against his forehead before a hand caressed his cheek. "So do I, but we have things to do."

Haru refused to move, wanting to spend forever in the sheets with the brunette. Despite all of his dreams coming true, he was still scared that if he stepped out of this room, he'll find out that the events of last night were nothing but a dream.

"C'mon," Makoto sat up on the bed, bringing Haru up as he went. "I'm sure Ran has made us breakfast by now."

The brunette slipped off the bed and Haru watched as he stripped off his shirt in front of him, before grabbing another shirt from his suitcase and headed to the bathroom.

"You should get changed too. Ren is coming later today." Makoto smiled before closing the door.

Haru walked out of Makoto's room and met Ran's wide eyes at the door.

"Haru!" she yelped. "I didn't know you were in my brother's roo--" her face started turning red as she covered her mouth. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding something Haru! I just wanted to wake up Onii-chan since Ren will be here soon."

Haru nodded and began to walk away but Ran called out to him again.

"Haru… did you and my brother make up?" she asked cautiously as if she was scared to know the answer.

Haru thought back about last night and the kisses, the confessions, sleeping in Makoto's arms. This was more than making up, Haru realized. It was the beginning of something Haru had never experienced before.

"Yes." Haru smiled and Ran gleefully hugged Haru.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" she squealed as she pulled away from Haru and smiled. "Oh my god, I'm so happy for both of you! Finally! It was about time!" She backed away and started to head down the hallway. "I have to call somebody, but please tell my brother to hurry up!"

Haru nodded and started to head back to his room, but not before he heard Ran yell excitedly into the phone. "Rin! You would not believe what I had just heard!"

Once in his room, he grabbed his clothing and headed back to Makoto's room. He could hear the shower running in the bathroom and Haru smiled as he opened it.

"Ah, Haru?" Makoto called out. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm joining you." Haru said as he began stripping.

"Umm w-why?" Haru couldn't see his face because of the door, but he could imagine Makoto's face was as red as a tomato. "I mean! Not that I would mind, but wouldn't it be better if you waited until after I finish?"

Haru rolled his eyes and opened the shower. "Relax, it's for saving water. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with this." As he stepped in he pressed a soft kiss against Makoto's lips. "We're together aren't we?"

"Ye-yes, but don't you think this is a little… inappropriate?" Makoto gently held Haru's shoulders to prevent him from stepping into the shower. Haru could see the soap suds all over Makoto's body. His brown hair was tousled from washing it. It was a different side of Makoto, one that Haru had never seen before. There was no way in hell he was missing this opportunity.

"We're  _ showering _ ." Haru responded. "What’s so bad about it?"

Makoto's face turned red and he began spluttering. While it was endearing, Haru did need to shower, so he stepped in and grabbed a bar of soap.

"If you're so against it, I'll even wash you. Here." Haru saidnand began to scrub Makoto's back.

"Haru, this isn't the point that I was trying to make..." Makoto protested but made no effort to stop his lover.

After showering, the both of them went to the kitchen to go eat the breakfast Ran had prepared.

"Ran," Makoto asked as he picked up a piece of french toast, "why are you smiling like that?"

"Hmm? Oh it’s nothing, Onii-chan." Ran assured with a knowing smile. "Just… I bet you slept well last night."

Makoto almost choked on his toast. "Th-that's--"

Ran laughed. "I'm just joking. Merry Christmas, guys."

Haru watched the two siblings interact and he smiled to himself. "Merry Christmas." He said as he picked up his drink.

Just then, Makoto's phone went off and everybody jumped in surprise. Even Makoto was confused when he fished it out. The name that appeared on the screen made Makoto's eyes widen and he facepalmed.

"Onii-chan? What's wrong?" Ran asked while Haru looked at Makoto with a concerned expression.

"It's… it’s nothing. I just may have forgotten something kind of important?" Makoto said as he showed Haru the name of the caller. Haru bit his lip and snapped his head away from Makoto. Of course. While everything was perfect there just  _ had _ to be something to ruin it.

"Do whatever you want." Haru mumbled.

Makoto answered the phone with a light and upbeat voice. "Hey! Merry Christmas!"

As Makoto continued to talk on the phone, Ran leaned closer to Haru and whispered, "What's going on?"

"His girlfriend." Haru bitterly responded.

"Eh?!" Ran's eyes widened

Haru cupped his drink even harder as he continued to listen to Makoto's conversation. He was secretly hoping Makoto would break up with her over the phone, but he knew Makoto would never do that. To Makoto, it would be rude to break up with her in that way, even more so on Christmas. What if he  _ never _ breaks up with her?

"Yeah, sorry about that, I'll call you when I can," Makoto said on the phone. "Bye." As he hung up the brunette sighed. "I'm sorry about that guys. That was my girlfriend..." Makoto looked at Haru apologetically, "who I am breaking up with when we get back."

Haru rolled his eyes and Makoto sighed again.

"She was mad I haven't called her since we've arrived in Paris. But I can't just break up with her now… it's not the right time."

"Then when is the right time?" Haru snapped.

"When we get back," Makoto took Haru's hand and intertwined them. "I'm going to tell her everything and end it. I promise I will do it. You're the one I want."

Haru's heart skipped a beat as Makoto leaned closer until his forehead was just a centimeter away from his. He wanted Makoto more than anything in the whole world. He's finally got what he has wanted and he doesn't want to ever let go. His insecurities won’t go away in the blink of an eye. This wasn't some sort of fairy tale. It's reality and it'll take some time for him to completely heal the wounds that had happened in the past month.

"Promise?" Haru whispered.

"I promise."

Ran coughed and the pair broke apart.

"C'mon we gotta get ready for Ren." Ran began pushing off the couple to the kitchen. "Help me cook, Haru and Makoto? I want to make this place look spotless."

Ren arrived late into the afternoon with a cheerful smile on his face. As soon as the door opened, Ran hugged her twin brother and the two jumped excitedly like little children. Makoto had to calm them down, only to have Ren hug him and the noise from before was replaced with equally as loud laughing.

"Merry Christmas!" Ren said as he dragged his luggage into the apartment. The brunette paused to look at Haru for a confused second but then smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you Haru."

"Likewise," Haru nodded, "and Merry Christmas."

Makoto had Ren settle into the apartment as Haru and Ran continued cooking. When the two had returned, Haru prepared tea and gave it to them.

"Hey," Ran said as Haru returned from delivering the drinks. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Haru said as he began searching for ingredients.

"How did it happen?"

"How did what?" Haru confusedly asked.

"You know… my brother… you… getting together..."

"Last night, as soon as you went to bed," Haru began, "I took him out to the balcony to apologize for my behavior. He apologized for the misunderstanding."

"Ugh, Haru!" Ran whined and Haru almost yelped when he felt her punching his shoulder. "That's too vague! Tell me about who confessed first, and who initiated the kiss..."

"We had a toast at midnight??"

"You're awful at this Haru." Ran sighed.

Haru snorted at the statement. He has a feeling that this was going to happen a lot.

Once everything was cooked, the Tachibana family and Haru began eating. That night's dinner wasn't as grand as the night before, but it still was a lot.

"Haru, you need to eat something besides mackerel," Makoto chastised.

The black haired man looked up at his lover's face and met his eyes. "Like what?"

Makoto sighed. "C'mon, try something new."

Haru rolled his eyes. "Stop mothering me. I'm hundreds of years older than you. I know how to take care of myself."

Makoto chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"Are they okay?" Ren whispered to his sister.

"Shut up Ren and eat your food. You're being rude." Ran commanded.

After dinner, the Tachibana family gathered around the tree while Haru hung back.

"C'mon Haru!" Ren called out to him. "It's time to open presents!"

"I don't know..." Haru shyly said. "I'm not really a part of the family..."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ran waved a hand to dismiss the thought. "You're a part of the family as well."

Makoto smiled at Haru and nodded in agreement. "Even before last night, you've always been a part of the family." The brunette offered one of his hands to Haru and patted an empty spot next to him on the floor. "Here, I even saved a spot for you."

Haru took his hand and sat down next to him as the twins began rummaging through the presents. Even though they were hundreds of years old and appeared as young adults, they still managed to act like children as they excitedly organized which presents belonged to who. Haru chuckled as he rested his head on Makoto's shoulder. As they continued to watch the twins, Makoto wrapped his arm around Haru.

"Do they act like this every year?" Haru asked.

"Yes they do," Makoto chuckled, "but there's more excitement this year since there are more presents."

"Even if it isn't for them?"

"It's a competition for them," Makoto answered. "They want to see who gets the most presents."

"Is there normally a different amount?" Haru asked.

Makoto nodded. "They bring all the presents they receive from coworkers and friends and open them today. Sometimes I join in too, just for the heck of it."

"Alright! That's all the presents!" Ran clapped her hands and lifted a bag from one of the smaller piles, "Onii-chan you open yours first! Here's the one from me!"

Makoto laughed as he took the bag with his free arm. "Alright, alright." He opened the bag which revealed a box set of a series of books Haru didn't recognize. "No way! I've been wanting to get the whole series for a while now! Thank you, Ran!"

Ran smiled and went to grab another one of Makoto's presents when Ren snatched one and shoved it in Makoto's face.

"Open mine now, Onii-chan!" he said as he placed the gift-wrapped box on Makoto's lap.

"Okay, give me a minute." Makoto chuckled as he began ripping off the wrapping paper. Ren's present was a video game that Haru had heard about. Along with the video game came an exclusive merchandise set with a creation booklet and figures of the characters.

The brunette gave an inhuman squeal as he hugged the merchandise. Everybody in the room laughed. It was always an enjoyable sight to see Makoto get excited over things like video games. "Thank you, Ren!"

"Ah this one is from Rin and Sousuke," Ran handed an envelope to Makoto who opened it to reveal a slip of paper that resembled a check. Along with it came a card. 

"Buy yourself something awesome with this money." Makoto shook his head with a smile. "They always know the best thing to give is money."

Ran and Ren rolled their eyes, knowing how Makoto had reacted to their presents. As if money was  _ better _ than their’s.  

"And finally Haru's." Ran said as Ren handed it to Makoto.

"It's nothing special," Haru said as Makoto began opening it. "I--"

"Haru," Makoto smiled as he held the opened jewelry box in his hand. Time seemed to slow down for a second as sapphire eyes met emeralds. "It's beautiful."

It was a silver necklace with single charm that was in the form of an angel's wing. Makoto lifted the necklace from its box and the light made the charm sparkle for a moment. The smaller male was entranced as he watched the taller one.

"I love it." Makoto said as he began to put it on. The angel wings touched the collar of his shirt as he adjusted the length. "Does it..." Makoto shyly began, "look okay?"

Haru's breath was taken away with the gentle smile Makoto had given him. He opened his mouth but no words came out. He couldn't find the right words to say. Nothing seemed the right way to tell him.

"...Haru?" Makoto worriedly asked, snapping Haru out of his daze.

"It looks good." Haru said as he ran his thumb over the charm. "I'm glad you like it."

His face was so close to Makoto's that he couldn't resist closing the distance and encapturing their lips for a kiss. The feeling from last night quickly returned, with the spark that ignited between them. It was only meant to last a few seconds but Makoto's hand went up to hold the back of Haru's head and deepened the kiss as if to say  _ you can do better than that. _

"No seriously," Ren whispered to his sister again, "are they okay?"

"Ren, are you stupid?" Ran muttered. "They're lovers."

"Since when?" Ren asked in a tone of disbelief. "I thought they were roommates."

"Last night," Ran answered," and they still are."

When they finally had broken apart, Ran began to open the present Makoto had given to her. It was an expensive set of china and she laughed when she saw them.

"Thank you so much Onii-chan!" she hugged her older brother as she went back to opening her other presents.

Ren opened Makoto's present as well which revealed tickets to a band he liked. 

"Thanks, Onii-chan!"

Makoto laughed. "You're welcome."

"I got ten presents. How about you?" Ran asked her brother.

"The same."

"Well," Makoto began, "it looks like it'll be a tie this year." Makoto picked up a box from the untouched pile and handed it to Haru.

"It's from Rin and Sousuke."

There was a card attached to the box and Haru lifted it up. He would read it at a later time, so he folded it and placed it in his pocket. He then continued to unwrap the box until it revealed what was held inside.

It was a snow globe of Paris with all the major tourist sites in it. Haru smiled at the encryption of the plaque in the middle. It was supposed to be personalized, so Haru would have to open it to read what his said.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Makoto asked as Haru put the box to the side.

"I want to see what you got me." Haru responded and Makoto smiled.

"It's not much," Makoto said as he handed a smaller box with a blue bow on top to Haru, "but here you go."

Haru opened the box and blushed. It was a simple silver band, but nonetheless, it was a ring. He looked up at Makoto and smiled. "I love it."

"There's more," Makoto urged.

He picked up the ring and lifted it to reveal the encryption on the inside.  _ Everything you imagine is real.  _ Haru smiled, thinking about a memory from a few days ago in the Picasso exhibit.

_ "I thought you didn't know anything about art." _

_ "I don't, but I do know about quotes." _

Haru placed the ring on his finger and studied the way it looked on him.

"It looks beautiful on you." Makoto commented. Sapphire eyes met emerald ones as Haru smiled and rested his head on Makoto's shoulder.

"Thank you." Haru quietly said. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Makoto said as he lifted Haru's head with his hand and kissed him.

No matter how many times they kissed, Haru could never get over the sensation he felt. If anything, it only seemed to get better and better. Makoto's hand moved up to Haru’s hair and he prodded his mouth open, to which Haru obliged. He could taste the chocolate that Makoto had earlier. 

After all the presents had been opened, Haru grabbed Makoto's hand and announced that they were turning in for the night. Ren and Ran said their goodnights and the eager black haired boy dragged his lover to the bedroom they were in the night before.

"Haru," Makoto's hand cupped Haru's face and his thumb slid over Haru's lips. "You have no idea how long I have been dreaming of just us being together."

Haru smirked, remembering all of the nights he had thought the same thing. _Oh,_ he had an idea alright.

-

The sun was beginning to set, creating hues of red and yellow across the sky. Normally, Nagisa was too busy to notice the sky, but today was an exception. He was not only admiring the sky but Rei as well, who had his back to the blonde. He too was admiring the sunset, waiting for his lover to bring in the cocktails. He was sitting on a blanket at the beach. Nagisa took a deep breath before taking his spot next to Rei.

"Haru-chan just texted me," Nagisa said as he handed Rei a glass, "he asked if it was alright to bring Makoto with him for New Years."

"That's fine," Rei responded as Nagisa sat down next to him. "It would make everything easier. We'll probably have to ask both of them separately, but I'm positive we can devise something by then."

"You know what else we have to plan for?" Nagisa asked with a devilish smirk.

"What?"

"Our anniversary." Nagisa said as he kissed Rei's cheek. "You didn't forget right?"

"I would never!" Rei said. "That day is one of the most important dates of my life. I would rather die than forget!"

The blonde giggled as he rested his head on his soulmate's shoulder. "I knew you wouldn't Rei-chan."

"Merry Christmas, Nagisa-kun." Rei rose his glass.

"Merry Christmas." Nagisa said as he rose his.

Rei's lips connects to Nagisa's as the glasses come together.

-

At the hotel, Sousuke and Rin buried themselves in opening presents from friends and family. A huge pile of gift wraps and bags piled up as they finished. Sousuke sat on the couch while Rin sat on the floor in front of Sousuke. The sound of the fireplace was their music. There was only one present left that had yet to be opened. Rin was the one to take it.

"It's Haru's," Rin said, reading the tag on the bag. "Hey Sousuke, did you notice how much happier he and Makoto looked yesterday?"

Sousuke nodded. "They didn't make up until after we left, right?"

Rin smiled. "Those two... even if they are mad at each other they just can't resist each other can they?" He chuckled to himself. "It kind of reminds me of us when we first met."

"Does it?" Sousuke asked.

Rin dropped the long forgotten present and sat down on the couch next to Sousuke.

"Yeah, they do. They are both eager to be together but get nervous when they actually take action. And when your shoulder started to break down," Rin's hand came to the shoulder and delicately traced circles across the skin, "I tried to become a hero and help you… but there was nothing that could be done… just like--"

"Just like Haru when Makoto was hurting." Sousuke finished for him. "But everything turned out okay, didn't it?"

"They did." Rin smiled and swung his legs on both sides of Sousuke. 

"Rin, what are you--”

"Shh--" The red-head cupped his lover's face in his hand and kissed him. "Just let me kiss you."

He pressed his lips to Sousuke's and pushed his tongue in, begging for entrance. Sousuke obliged and Rin's tongue danced with Sousuke’s as they kissed. They kiss again, faster than the last. Their kisses get faster, desperate, hungrier as they continue. When it's all too much they break apart. Rin puts his forehead against Sousuke's. Their hot breaths mingled as they gasped for air.

"Bedroom?" the taller male asked.

"Bedroom." The redhead responded.

-

Haru woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible ache in the back of his neck. He shifted to more a comfortable position but immediately found himself unable to move because of the strong arm that was wrapped around his waist.  _ Makoto _ . 

He was asleep, brown hair splayed over the bed. His mouth was slightly agape as he snored softly and quietly. The only light that was in the room was coming from the city lights leaking through the small gaps in the curtains. Makoto looked like an angel, and Haru couldn't resist him. 

The black haired man kissed the brunette's forehead before shifting again, in a way so that he wouldn’t wake Makoto. As he did, his hand came across a piece of paper. Confused, he grabbed it and used his other hand to reach for the lamp. When he managed to turn it on, he realized what the paper was. It was the Christmas card that he had stuffed in his pocket earlier. Sometime while making out with Makoto, it had fallen out. Haru opened the card to read the content. After reading it he smiled and placed it on the nightstand. He turned off the light and shifted himself so that he was in a comfortable position in Makoto's arms.

\----

_ Haru, _

_ Hopefully, by the time you read this, you have made up with Makoto. And if you have, that means you're together. Makoto has been my best friend for centuries and I have taken care of him and cherished him. But times are different now. We live separate lives and I have Sousuke and Makoto has you. So now it's your turn. I'm sorry for my actions from the other day, you know how protective I can be with those who I love. But I trust you will do as great of a job, heck, even better than I ever could.  _

_ Take care of him.  _

_ Merry Christmas, _

_ Rin _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated! :D


	18. Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> December 31st, 2015: Rei meets someone who will change his life  
> December 31st, 2016: Haru and Makoto spend New Years with Nagisa and Rei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everybody!
> 
> Unedited because I really want this chapter posted today for reasons. Will post edited version once it's done.
> 
> Also I'm so so sorry if the bachata part came out wrong. I haven't danced it in years and I went off of memory instead of actual research. I'll fix that later if it's wrong. 
> 
> On another note the song they danced to was Darte Un Beso by Prince Royce but really almost any song by him works, Romeo Santos as well.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! :D

 

_ Rei stood at the steps of his coworkers’ villa. waiting for Haru and his plus one to arrive. Since they were in Florida, Rei didn't need to worry about the cold, even if it was New Year’s Eve. _

_ Suddenly he spotted Haru, walking towards the villa cautiously. The purple haired man was actually surprised he accepted the invitation. In the fifteen years he's known Haru, he's always been more apathetic to events such as this, especially when there would be hundreds of people in attendance. _

_ "Haruka-senpai!" Rei called out to Haru. "I'm glad you made it!" _

_ Haru nodded silently before lifting his phone and showing Rei the text he had just received. It was from a person named Nagisa, apologizing because he would be running late and that Haru should just go ahead without him. _

_ "My friend has a deadline for his work since he waited until the last minute to complete it." Haru added as he began walking up the steps that led to the house. _

_ Rei shook his head. What kind of man is as irresponsible as that? And more so, how is this kind of man a friend of the eldest man on earth? _

_ Since Haru felt like the inside of the house was too packed, he suggested they head out to the patio instead. _

_ "It'll be easier for Nagisa to find us out here." Was what Haru had said but the way his eyes glistened when he saw the pool told another story. _

_ "So," Rei began, "how have you been?" _

_ "Alright," Haru answered. "I was in Korea this month to get some inspiration for my art." _

_ "Oh right, you're trying to get some money off of your art, right? How's that going?" _

_ The black haired man sighed. "I don't know, I'm kind of… bored..." _

_ Rei almost squeaked. How could a man who has traveled the whole world, lived a very long time and have a vast knowledge of everything be bored? _

_ "Well… will you be taking a break from your travels?" _

_ Haru shrugged. "What would I be doing?" _

_ "I heard college is something good." _

_ "College?" _

_ "You know, where you get higher education? Did you know that people with higher education earn more money than somebody who doesn't? They are also less likely to be unemployed. As a graduate from Stanford University, I say it's worth the experience. Since you're the oldest man on Earth, I’m sure you'll have free tuition to the college of your choice." Rei explained. _

_ Haru shrugged. "I don't really care about money or anything." _

_ "Then you should go for the experience," Rei suggested. "I can assure you, Haruka-senpai, that college is something worth going to. You'll definitely see the world differently once you get there." _

_ "I'll… consider it..." _

_ The purple haired man patted Haru's back. "Of course. Please do." _

_ "Haru-chan!" A short blonde man came running to their direction. "I'm sorry I took forever!" _

_ "Don't apologize Nagisa." Haru replied. "You're the one who wanted to come." _

_ Magenta eyes blinked as they met violet ones. Rei had to admit, the blonde man had an aura to him that made him quite likable. And those eyes they held a youthful energy in them; it was unlike any eyes Rei has ever seen before. Nagisa tugged on Haru's arms. _

_ "Ne, Haru-chan, is this Rei-chan?" He asked. _

_ The purple haired man coughed as he fixed his vest and held out his hand. "Uh, yes! I am Rei Ryugazaki, it's a pleasure to meet you." _

_ A playful smile formed on Nagisa's lips as he took Rei's hand. Their hands are a perfect fit, Rei thinks to himself, although he couldn’t figure out why he would think that. All he knew was Nagisa's smile and that he wanted to see it more often. _

_ "Likewise, Rei-chan!" _

-

Makoto wakes up to the feeling of someone kissing his neck. He giggled slightly because it tickled. He was so tired from the trip back to New York that he flipped away from the person in bed, but those same lips were back on his neck as soon as Makoto was settled. 

"Haru, stop it," Makoto giggled.

"Hmm, not until you wake up, sleepy head." Haru whispers into his ear. "We've got Nagisa and Rei coming over today."

Makoto groggily opened his eyes and turned his head to find a smiling and already dressed Haru sitting on his bed. The brunette groaned slightly as he turned his whole body to face Haru. "And why is that?" Makoto asked with a yawn.

"It's New Year’s Eve." Haru stood up and began heading towards the door. "I've already made breakfast, c'mon."

"Alright, alright." Makoto got up and slid off of the bed.

It's only been a few days since they finally confessed and got together. And with the new relationship came a lot of changes. There was the kissing and the cuddling, something Makoto hadn’t expected. They just couldn't seem to want to be separated. If they weren’t doing one thing, they were most definitely doing the other. Makoto secretly hoped that it stays that way.

But there were things that have been a little unexpected, like their shared showers. They were completely innocent, but Makoto couldn't help but wonder why Haru decided to step in every time Makoto did. He can't complain forever, so he treats Haru in the shower and gives him a little massage on his back when he washes him.

There were even small changes that were really just additions to things they've always done, like Haru making breakfast for the two of them. It’s been something that happens almost every morning since they met, but now it was more meaningful. Before, Haru made breakfast and Makoto would wake up to the smell. Now, Haru lets Makoto sleep in while he cooks and wakes him up by peppering kisses all over his body.

It's  _ fantastic _ .

Makoto groggily takes a seat at the counter while Haru pushes a plate of food toward him. The brunette catches the ring on his lover's finger, and he smiled to himself as he ate. The black haired man sat on a stool next to Makoto and watched him eat.

"What are you smiling about?" Haru rested his chin on his hand, a smirk starting to form.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Haru repeated. "Tell me, what is this ‘nothing’?"

"Haru," Makoto warned. He knew where this was going.

"C'mon," Haru's hands came to Makoto's sides and he began tickling him. "Tell me."

"Haru!" Makoto said again as he fought back laughter. "This is unfair!"

But Haru didn’t stop and Makoto couldn’t hold his laughter in forever. He started to laugh uncontrollably, to the point that his stomach began to hurt and he started to gasp for air.

Haru stopped after a while, deciding that Makoto has been tortured enough, but his fingers lingered on his body, as if to say  _ This isn't over! _

"Are you going to tell me now?" Haru asked, smirk still present.

Makoto intertwined his fingers with Haru's and glanced down at the ring before meeting Haru's eyes.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are the most beautiful person in the world?" Makoto asked.

"You have." Haru answered.

Makoto laughed and leaned in for a kiss. Haru leaned in to meet him halfway and Makoto closed his eyes. Suddenly a cold hand lightly patted his cheek and Makoto opened his eyes in confusion as he was met with a smirking Haru.

"Eat your food, it's going to get cold." The shorter male simply said.

Makoto pouted as Haru hopped off the stool and went into his bedroom.  _ Rude. _

Makoto was doing some last minute tidying up when the doorbell rang. Haru, who was closer to the door, received it.

"Haru-chan!" Nagisa threw himself unto Haru and wrapped his arms around Haru. "It's nice to see you!"

Haru smiled and ruffled Nagisa's hair. "It's nice to see you too."

"Hi Mako-chan!" Nagisa waved as he ran up to Makoto.

"Hi Nagisa." Makoto greeted.

"Haruka-senpai, Makoto-san." Rei greeted, carrying a bunch of luggage.

"Hello Rei," Haru said.

"Ah, allow me to help," Makoto began to grab some of the things Rei was carrying.

"Thank you," Rei sighed in relief as he handed some things to the brunette.

"No problem, how was your trip?"

"Exhausting."

Makoto chuckled as he dropped the luggage outside of Haru's room. "I bet it was."

"I'll have to apologize, we still haven't finished getting everything ready for tonight," Haru said as he began putting out the cleaning supplies.

"That's alright, we can certainly help out." Rei said.

"That'll be appreciated, but first!" Makoto clapped his hands. "We're going out!"

"Really? Where?" Nagisa enthusiastically asked.

"Haru was able to get us a table at this new restaurant in town," the brunette replied as he grabbed his and his boyfriend’s jackets. "It's apparently ocean themed."

Rei nodded. "It sounds like something Haru would like."

"Alright!" Nagisa happily cheered, already grabbing Rei's hand and opening the door. "Let's go!"

Makoto chuckled at Nagisa's antics as Haru simply sighed.

"We should go and lead them there before they get lost." The brunette said.

"Yeah," Haru agreed.

The restaurant was located on the other side of town in an area that stood out from the rest of its surroundings because of the lush green landscape and the gorgeous stream that flowed beside it. It was mostly dim inside, the only lights in the place coming from lamps that hung above the tables. The entrance had a wall with water trickling down it, illuminating different colored lights. In front of the wall was a pond that had a small wall of stones surrounding it, with lily pads floating on the surface. Makoto was able to see fish swimming freely under the pads and over randomly tossed coins. The whole restaurant seemed to be water themed. Paintings of the ocean were hung up on walls, the bar's counter was a small aquarium and selected walls had been replaced with fish tanks.

"Wow!" The blonde's magenta eyes widened as they entered the restaurant. "This place looks incredible!"

"It just opened recently," Makoto explained. "Haru and I haven't checked it out yet and it happened to be open today, so we thought, why not?"

Haru nodded. "We were lucky to get last-minute reservations."

The place was packed, couples and families were everywhere. A blonde girl with blue eyes dressed in a waitress uniform stood with menus in her arms.

"Name?" She looked at the group with a smile, her eyes fixated on one particular person in the group: Haru.

Haru simply rolled his eyes. "Erica, you know who I am. You're the one who answered the phone."

Erica giggled and gestured for the group to follow her. "Right this way."

The group settled at the back of the restaurant. They happened to be seated at a table by a wall that was completely replaced with a huge fish tank. Makoto could see all kinds of fishes swimming in the tanks.

As soon as they were seated and Erica had left, Makoto leaned in to whisper in Haru's ear, "How do you know her?"

"Friend from a class." Haru replied skimming the items on the menu.

Makoto smiled. "Well I'm glad she did us a favor and got us a good table last minute."

Haru smiled before resting his head on Makoto's shoulder. "Yeah."

Rei and Nagisa both widened their eyes at the gesture but said nothing about it.

"I don't think they have mackerel on the menu..." Haru pouted.

Makoto giggled and began offering substitutions for the lack of mackerel. It's something they have done numerous times before, but this time would be the first time they'd be doing so as a couple. In fact, it's the first time they've really been in public since arriving in France. And since Nagisa and Rei are a thing… wouldn't that make this a double date?

Before Makoto could have a heart attack, their waiter came and took their orders.

When the waiter left there was a moment of silence between the four of them. Suddenly, Rei pushed up his glasses and looked at Nagisa. The blonde nodded and turned to the other with an innocent smile on his face as he asked, "So… how was France?"

Haru lifted his head from Makoto's shoulder as the brunette spoke. "Good. We visited a few museums, went to the Eiffel Tower..."

"And how was Aki? Was everything resolved?" Rei added.

Haru narrowed his eyes. "How do you know about Aki?" His blue eyes glared at Nagisa, who laughed nervously.

"Actually, they were the ones who helped me get the contact info for her family." Makoto admitted.

Haru's eyes widened slightly and turned his head away to hide his blush. However, the brunette can see a hint of a smile on his face as he thanked Nagisa and Rei.

"Thank you... for helping..."

Nagisa and Rei smiled back.

"You know we'd do anything for you, Haru-chan!" Nagisa replied.

Haru chuckled. "Yeah..."

Makoto reached out to Haru's hand on the table and intertwined their fingers. Haru turned his head to his boyfriend and smiled. The black haired man rested his shoulder again on the brunette.

"I wish I could kiss you right now," Haru admitted in a hushed voice as he closed his eyes.

Despite establishing their relationship, Makoto had not broken it off with the girl yet. Since the chances of running into someone in their circle is likely, they both had agreed that certain PDA would have to wait. Neither wanted anymore drama to happen.

Makoto smiled sympathetically and whispered back. "Me too..."

"Ah, excuse me if I'm being rude, but it seems like something else had happened in France." Rei winked.

"Oh! Uh, sorry about that," The brunette realized that they have never told Nagisa and Rei about their relationship.

"We're together." Haru confirmed.

"Yay!" Nagisa cheered happily. "I was wondering when the two of you would realize you're soulmates!"

Makoto repeated what Nagisa had said as if he wasn't sure he had the blonde correctly.  _ Soulmates?  _ Never had it occurred to him that he could be Haru's soulmate. He had gotten so used to the idea of being Soulless that he thought he could never find his soulmate.

Nagisa and Rei noticed his confused expression and Rei gave Nagisa a stern look. The blonde smiled apologetically and giggled as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Eh… sorry… but, have you guys  _ ever _ considered it?"

Makoto shook his head. "I've never really thought about it..."

"I have." Haru said quietly.

The group was stunned and stared at Haru, who simply shrugged.

Rei pushed up his glasses as he said, "Well, considering the fact that Haruka-senpai has lived for such a long time, if he were to fall for somebody the logical conclusion would be--"

"Soulmates," the brunette finished.

"Y-yes precisely," Rei stuttered, not expecting Makoto to say something. "But neither of you have started to show signs of aging, have you?"

"What would be a sign?" Haru asked. He seemed a little more interested in the conversation than before.

"Well, there are a lot but something that would be an early one is extremely subtle changes of appearance--”

"Like a strand of grey hair?" Haru asked.

"Yes, something like that. It would probably be hard to see at first, and it'll probably disappear a month after it appears."

Makoto glanced at the spot where Haru's strand was and almost frowned. He had grown to love that little strand and he realizes he'll miss it when it disappears.

"Are you asking about the grey hair because you have it?" Rei inquired.

Haru nodded.

"Ah, but Mako-chan doesn't have anything like that right?" Nagisa added.

Makoto nodded, "I don't think so… or well, I'm not aware of it."

Haru shrugged in confirmation, as though saying that he hadn't found anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, it is strange that only Haruka-senpai has shown a sign and Makoto-san hasn't at all." Rei said.

Haru shrugged, "It doesn't matter. Makoto would be mine either way."

The brunette laughed and lightly squeezed his boyfriend's hand. "True."

-

"Hey, it's starting to get dark." Makoto pointed out.

"Should we head back to the apartment?" Haru asked the group who nodded in agreement.

After dinner, Makoto and Haru showed the others around town, since they didn’t get the chance to before. Makoto and Haru showed Nagisa and Rei all of their favorite places. Before long, it was starting to get dark, so the group headed back to the apartment. Upon arriving, the blonde turned on the TV excitedly and dragged his boyfriend to get snacks.

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan!" Nagisa called out to them. "C'mon let's get the popcorn out!"

Makoto laid a hand on Haru's shoulder. "Let's help them."

Haru shrugged. "I guess so."

Nagisa, being too short to reach the higher shelves, was perched on one of the stools that was previously by the counter. He was attempting to get the box of popcorn. Even with the stool, he was far too short to reach the box and had to stretch his arms.

"Be careful Nagisa." Haru said as he took out a bowl of ice from the freezer.

"I am!" Nagisa assured as he finally grabbed the box. "Gotcha!"

It was at that moment Nagisa lost his footing and began to fall forward. The box of popcorn clattered to the floor as Rei caught his soulmate.

"Nagisa-kun," Rei sighed deeply, "You seriously need to be more careful. Do you know how high the probability was that you could have cracked your sku--"

"Oooo-kay, nobody wants to hear this talk again." Nagisa interrupted, using Rei as leverage to hop off the chair. As he picked up the box, he said, "Now let's get this party started!"

The TV was on a channel that only played music. It just so happened to be a song Nagisa knew and loved. As the song came on, Nagisa ignored the popcorn and grabbed Rei's hand.

"Nagisa-kun! What in the living world--"

"C'mon Rei-chan, it's one of my favorites!" The blonde exclaimed as he started to dance.

Despite the protests coming from Rei, he gave in and started to dance with his soulmate. A laughed escaped the shorter male's lips as Rei followed his movements.

The song continued to play in the background as Haru rested his head on Makoto's shoulder, watching the other couple with amusement. It looked like fun. The way they both were smiling and giggling as they moved to the beat, completely out of sync, and yet still managed to look charming. Rei had a hand on Nagisa's waist while Nagisa had a hand on Rei's shoulder. Their other hands were intertwined as they pressed up against each other, and danced along to the song. The style of dancing Haru immediately recognized as bachata, but he still had no idea what the song was.

Haru wanted to dance too. He hadn't dance this style of dancing since his visit in the Caribbean. He reached out and slightly touched Makoto's arm, quietly asking for Makoto to look at him. The black haired man's heart leaped as those jade eyes met his sapphire ones.

"Would you… like to dance?" Haru quietly asked.

Makoto's ears turned pink as he frowned. "Haru, I would love to but..."

When Makoto refused to finish his sentence Haru tilted his head and asked. "Is it because you can't dance?"

Makoto's eyes widened surprised how well Haru knew the brunette. He bit his lip and looked away. "Yeah..."

"It's alright," Haru intertwined his hand with Makoto's and gave a reassuring squeeze, "I can teach you."

Before the taller man had a chance to answer, Haru dragged him into an open space of their apartment.

"Put your hand on my waist." Haru instructed.

"Like this?" Makoto asked as he did as told.

Haru nodded as he placed his hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Now the feet movement."

Makoto nodded. "Are you leading?"

"Of course," Haru replied. "It's easy. Just follow my movements."

Haru began to move his feet and Makoto clumsily followed. For somebody who was friends with an outgoing guy like Rin, he sure was terrible at dancing. Haru giggled at how silly Makoto looked as he tried to copy Haru. The taller man blushed as Haru's hand that was on Makoto's shoulder went up to cup his face.

"Sorry, that was vague wasn't it?" Haru apologized with a smile. "I'll try to be more specific. Look down at my feet."

Makoto nodded as he looked down at Haru's feet.

"Do you see what I'm doing?" The black haired man asked as he stepped to the side and lifted his foot. The brunette nodded. "It follows a beat. Just keep side-stepping until four. On four you lift your foot like I just did."

Makoto's pursed lips indicated that he was trying to process and Haru sighed. "I'll count with you okay?"

"Okay." Makoto answered.

"One, two, three, four!" Haru counted as they danced. After a few paces, Makoto got the hang of it and laughed because of his accomplishment. He steadily improved after each step.

"Good, you ready for the next step?" Haru asked.

"Yeah what's the next--wahh!"

Makoto's cheeks flushed as Haru moved closer to Makoto. His jade eyes were wide, and his mouth was slightly agape. Haru couldn't blame him for his embarrassment, they have never been so close before. Even he was blushing because of the unfamiliarity. Their chests were pressed against each other, to the point that Haru couldn't tell if it was his or Makoto's heart that was beating too fast. He was practically riding Makoto's leg, which was equally embarrassing as it felt awkward and uncomfortable.

"You lead this time." Haru said and Makoto nodded.

The two of them begin to move at their own pace to the beat of the music. It wasn't long before the both of them got lost in their own world. The song that was playing had faded into the background and all of Haru’s senses were focused on the man in front of him with the gracious smile and calming jade eyes. Wherever they touched he felt like he was on fire. His chest felt warm, as if it were to burst any second with all the love he had for Makoto. It's the most intense feeling he's ever experienced, and yet it's never felt more normal, as if he was meant to be this close to his lover.

He's not sure how much time has passed, if it's been a few seconds or minutes, but he caressed Makoto's face before kissing him. Makoto immediately reciprocated, kissing him back with so much affection that it filled his heart.

"Makoto," the shorter man managed to say through kisses, "try and dip me."

Makoto smiled and complied, his hand gripping a little more tightly on Haru's waist. Haru could feel his back arching as he was being dipped and they both paused, realizing that the music had stopped for quite some time. Despite the lack of music, they both stayed in that position, panting heavily and smiling down at each other. They were still lost in their own little world until they heard an unfamiliar sound.

It's loud and joyful, almost innocent like and it takes a moment for Haru to realize that it's his own voice, his laughter. And it's not one of those suppressed giggles or chuckles or light sighs he makes when he usually finds something funny. It was his actual laughter that caught both him and Makoto by surprise.

But after the initial shock, Makoto was laughing along with Haru. They both sounded like awkward middle-schoolers after having their first clumsy kiss with their crush and it was just ridiculous. They are both grown men, Haru being the oldest man on Earth, and yet Haru has never felt so  _ young _ .

He stopped laughing when he cupped Makoto's face and kissed him on the forehead.

"Not bad for a beginner." Haru complimented.

Even though the brunette had stopped laughing, he was still grinning like an idiot, and Haru had to look away. 

They were both brought back to reality when they heard clapping from a certain blonde from across the room.

The hours after that went by rather quickly, the group spending it on eating snacks, drinking and watching the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration on TV. When it was close to midnight, Nagisa frantically began handing out hats, 2017 glasses, and noisemakers to everybody. From where Nagisa had gotten these things, Haru had no idea.

"C'mon guys, it's almost midnight!" Nagisa handed Makoto a pair of glasses and Haru a tiara.

Haru frowned, as he looked down on the tiara. It was blue with sparkles outlining the places where gems would be if it were an actual tiara. It was extremely girly for Haru's tastes.

Makoto chuckled. "Isn't that a little too girly for you,  _ Haruka?" _

Oh, he went there. Using his girly first name to mock them. Haru scoffed and turned his head away. Makoto only seemed to find Haru's reaction even more amusing (or adorable, Haru could never tell the difference) as the brunette only laughed and wrapped an arm around Haru's waist. He was being dragged closer to Makoto, which was  _ not fair. _ The brunette kissed Haru's ear and Haru's face quickly grew red, but he didn't move.

"Even if it doesn't suit your tastes, you'll still look beautiful in it." Makoto whispered.

"You're embarrassing." Haru muttered as he placed on the tiara.

What a cruel man. Making him wear things like tiaras against his own will.

And then came the countdown. Nagisa was already counting down the numbers at 59. Rei was joining in at 40 after 20 seconds of Nagisa tugging on his sleeve to join him. Makoto started to countdown at 15. Haru wouldn't join until there were 5 seconds left.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!" The four shouted at the same time.

Nagisa blew into his noisemaker. Makoto and Rei joined in for a second to amuse the blonde before putting theirs aside. The brunette turned to his lover, who was smiling.

"Happy New Year, Haru." Makoto said as he leaned to kiss Haru's forehead. But Haru wasn't going to have it, he grabbed the collar of the taller man's shirt and tugged his lips onto Haru's own. It was uncomfortable because Makoto's glasses are pressing against Haru's face, but it was nothing short of perfect. He released Makoto's shirt and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck, as his boyfriend wrapped his arms around his waist. Makoto lifted him up just enough so that his feet weren’t touching the ground anymore, and Haru broke the kiss to hold his lover's face. Sapphire eyes meet jade ones and Haru smiled.

"Happy New Year, Makoto." Haru said before kissing him again.

-

Makoto was holding the most beautiful person in his arms. He's kissing him like it's going to be the last one they'll ever have. Haru pulled away and held the brunette's face. Makoto studied his lover's face, from the way his hair framed his face, to the fallen eyelash that rested on his cheek. It's all his, and Makoto loved every bit of him as cheesy as it sounds. Their eyes met again and Makoto saw so much light and happiness in Haru's eyes that it made his heart soar.

What had happened last year didn’t matter anymore. All of the bad things were in the past, and all that mattered are the good ones, and the good ones to follow.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want everybody to know that despite this year not being the best, (cough Trump cough many other things couch) there are still great things about it. And I hope you will find something you loved about 2016, even if it's the smallest thing and bring it with you into 2017 and for the rest of your life. 
> 
> May you rest in peace, everybody that has died this year. You will be missed <3


	19. Frostbite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> January 17, 2017: Makoto officially ends his relationship with a classmate and Haru gets a surprise visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unedited but I'm overdue for a new chapter so here you go!
> 
> Enjoy!

For the first time since they've been together, Makoto woke up before Haru. The black-haired man came to that conclusion, when he groggily reached out to his boyfriend in bed, only to find it empty. For a moment, he panicked, believing that something terrible had happened before hearing some rattling in the kitchen. He would have loved to continue sleeping, but he was already awake and Makoto wasn't in bed anymore.

He groggily stepped out of the bedroom and walked into the living room, rubbing his tired eyes with his arm. Haru's tired eyes spotted Makoto quietly reading a book, a mug filled with coffee on the table next to him. The brunette was wearing his glasses, and was still in his pajamas. He didn't even bother to brush his hair. Haru chuckled and walked up to his roommate. Makoto was so engrossed in the book, he didn't even notice the black-hair man sit next to him on the couch. In fact, he didn't even notice Haru until he rested his head on his shoulder and whispered, "Morning."

"Ah, good morning Haru." Makoto smiled and lightly ruffled Haru's hair before kissing the top of his head, "Did you sleep well?"

Instead of answering the question Haru shot back, "How are you awake before me?"

Makoto chuckled, "I have no idea. I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."

Haru hummed, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Well, I just made myself coffee right now but I wanted to eat with you so I waited..." Makoto set down the book and turned to his lover, "Ready to make some--"

Makoto's words got cut off by Haru who smashed his lips against the brunette. Despite the surprise, Makoto immediately melted into the kiss. Haru, deepened the kiss even more as he moved until both of his legs were on either side of Makoto and he was completely facing the brunette. He took his lover's face in his hands and deepened the kiss even more than before.

He can feel Makoto's hands on his hips, the brunette's thumb circling them through the fabric of his shirt. Then the brunette's hands slowly come up and down Haru's waist, exploring the shorter male through his pajamas. Haru's hands has shifted to Makoto's chest, feeling every toned muscle there was.

It's when Makoto's tongue probs Haru's mouth and he eagerly lets their mouths meld together and tongues intertwine, that Haru realizes this make-out session is a lot more heated and hungrier than usual. Makoto must have had the same thought occur to him because he suddenly pulled away, panting heavily, his emerald eyes darkened from lust. His glasses are lopsided, from their making out and Haru suppresses a laugh.

"We should...stop." Makoto managed to say as he collected his breath.

He has all the reasoning in the world. Their relationship was still pretty new and neither wanted to go that far yet. Nor were they ready.

"Alright," Haru adjusted Makoto's glasses before he began to slide off Makoto and the couch, "Let's have breakfast."

As Haru began taking out the ingredients, Makoto took out the cookware.

"Tomorrow is the first day of the second semester," Makoto began, "I'm kinda nervous."

Haru shrugged. He knew that the brunette wasn't nervous for the actual classes;he was nervous for the fact that he's breaking up with somebody tomorrow. On the contrary, Haru was excited for tomorrow. Tomorrow will be the day he can finally tell the world officially Makoto was his and his only. He no longer needed to hold back to kiss Makoto, or hold his hand in public because he was afraid of causing drama. Frankly, the drama that had emerged during France, was enough for Haru for however long he remained living.

"It'll be fine," Haru assured.

"You think so?"

"Certainly."

-

It was very cold outside when Makoto exited his last class before lunch. Normally, he would be excited to sit and with his friends but today was exceptionally different.

"Ah! There you are!"

Ebony hair, blue eyes and a dazzling smile to match. That's how Makoto would describe her appearance as she happily trotted to him. She came up to him and hugged him and Makoto hugged her back. He felt guilty for what was about to happen.

"It's great to see you again after so long!" she cheerfully said as she pulled away from the brunette.

Makoto chuckled as his answer.

"Well anyways, I'm _starving_. Let's head inside and eat lunch!" she grabbed his wrist and led him to the cafeteria.

Inside the building, there are several tables where various groups of people ate lunch and hung out. Makoto spotted a few of his friends in the cafeteria. Haru was even there, locking eyes with him as they briefly passed him.

They sat in a more secluded area of the cafeteria, just far enough away from ear shot. Once seated Makoto took out his lunch. It was something prepared by Haru.

"Oh! Is that a typical Japanese lunch?" his girlfriend asked, "What's it called again? A bento right?"

Makoto nodded, "Haru prepared it."

"Oh wow! I didn't know Haru was into this sort of thing," she pressed a little closer to Makoto examining the contents of his lunch, "It sure looks delicious."

Makoto scooted slightly away from her as he replied, "Haru is an excellent cook."

The girl chuckled, "I bet he is. Hey, maybe you an ask your roommate sometime to make something for your girlfriend eh?"

"Um, about that..." Makoto began, "Look, we need to talk..."

"About what?" she tilted her head and pouted slightly.

"Us, uh..look I know this is the first time we've been together since December but we need to stop seeing each other."

"Oh, that's fine! I know that college can get pretty busy and that you need time for friends and-

"No...that's not what I actually meant..." Makoto cutted in.

"And I have to say, after not seeing you for so long I'm kinda disappointed--"

"I'm breaking up with you." Makoto said.

The girl froze blue eyes widening slightly as she met his eyes. She then turned away, sulking into her seat, "What?"

"Look," Makoto nervously began to explain, "You're a great girl and all, but I can't be with you."

The ebony-haired girl quietly asked, "Is there somebody better than me?"

Makoto sighed, "I wouldn't put it like that..."

"So there is somebody else."she quietly said.

"Please, just let me explain--"

She sighed. "It's him isn't it?"

Makoto studied the solemn expression on her face with confusion, "Who are you referring to?"

"Your roommate, Haru. You love him right?"

The smile on her face left Makoto even more confused. The smile resembled more of a teasing friend rather than an ex pretending to be fine. Why was she smiling like that?

"Yes," Makoto slowly said. He was still trying to process what was happening.

"You know, I've always had a feeling that you liked him and I knew he liked you back. But I knew that the both of you were too scared to ever do anything about it. Besides, you are considered Soulless and he isn't. And since I'm a Soulless, and I liked you, I asked out in hopes that maybe you can fall in love with me sometime but..." she shrugged the smile widening, "But I'm glad you came to terms with yourself. I'm happy for you."

Makoto had imagined how this event would go a little differently. It went so well, that it was unbelievable.

"How are you taking this so well?" Makoto asked, "I really don't know how these things should go, but I'm pretty sure your reaction is strange?"

"Is it?" she asked, "Because we all eventually start reacting like this when we've been through as many relationships as I have."

Makoto's blood froze and in a panic whipped his head to the girl who proceeded to eat her lunch, "We?"

"Yeah, Soulless. The first one is always the hardest believe me, but all the ones after that are easier." The girl nonchalantly responded.

Makoto paled as he stared at his ex, " _All_ Soulless?"

She shrugged, brushing her ebony bangs out of her face, "Eventually," she then chuckled darkly, "Couples that aren't soulmates never last. Since they aren't soulmates, they could grow bored of each other after a while, or one of them ends up finding their soulmate anyways."

"But..." Makoto protested, "It can't be all, right?"

She locked eyes with Makoto, "I've given up on my search and became a Soulless a century ago. I have met many others like me since. We're all the same. It's all a lie, the only love that truly lasts is love between soulmates."

Makoto's head spun, his hands began to sweat and his heart beat increased faster in fear.

_No no no._

He thought of his neighbors Donna and Sophia. They were Soulless. Did it mean that their relationship wasn't even real? And about him? If Haru and Makoto aren't soulmates what would they be? Soulless? Would they too share the same fate? No, they couldn't. Their love for each other is something that's different, it had to be!

"I'm not like the rest of you." Makoto hissed, "I won't be some cold human who uses a person to fulfill their desires."

"That's what they all say at first," she responded, "but that's the thing about the Soulless. _You can be with somebody, but they'll never be yours._ "

-

Haru sat on the couch sketching in his sketchbook. It was a drawing of Makoto, just like most of his other drawings in the book. The book has contained drawings and sketches of Makoto for almost as long as he's known him. Just a few weeks ago, he would have died if Makoto had found it. In fact, he almost had when Makoto had looked through the sketchbook Aki had given him. When he first saw the sketchbook, Haru had thought that the brunette had seen all of the drawings he had done of him. He was more than relieved when he had found out Makoto didn't look through that sketchbook. But now that they're together, perhaps he should show the drawings to him sometime in the future.

The doorbell rang and Haru set down his sketchbook to see who was at the door. He was home alone since Makoto still had another two hours until his classes ended and Haru didn't want to wait for him. Which brought him to the question of who could possibly be at the door? Nagisa and Rei were in Florida and Rin and Sousuke were in Japan.

Haru opened the door and widened his eyes.

Hiroko, his childhood friend's daughter, stood at the door with a brief case in her hand. Her brown hair was tied up into a ponytail and she wore the same hoodie from the time they met.

"Hi Haru, I'm sorry for not calling but I knew you'd be busy and I too was busy with the funeral and--

Haru froze. Of course. If Hiroko was here it meant that Aki had passed away. So his best friend was officially gone. Even though he knew it would happen, his heart sank a little.

Her daughter must have noticed Haru's  gloominess because she smiled sadly, "She went peacefully."

They both stood there in silence until Haru widened the door allowing Hiroko to step inside the apartment.

"Come in," He said.

Her blue eyes widened and she nodded, "Thank you, Haru."

Instead of saying your welcome Haru simply nodded and closed the door behind her. Hiroko shyly walked around until she was standing in the entrance way that divided the kitchen from the living room. She looked around, eyes scanning everything in sight before meeting Haru's.

"You have a nice apartment." Hiroko complimented.

"Thank you," Haru replied, "Would you like something to eat or drink?"

She nodded, "Do you have ice tea?"

Haru went into the kitchen and brought out the drink for her. She gracefully took the drink and took a sip.

"Would you mind if I stayed here with you for a few weeks until I figure things out? I think a lot of hotels around this area are filthy and I don't wanna use all my money on the nicer ones so I get a nice place." Hiroko asked before taking another sip.

"I offered you a place here before didn't I?" Haru replied, "It still stands."

"Thank you."

Haru nodded in response, "Since I sleep with my roommate, you can stay in my room." He pointed in the direction of his room and her blue eyes followed.

The brunette nodded, "Thank you."

After she finished her drink, Hiroko settled herself into Haru's room. She simply placed her brief case by the bed before taking off her hoodie, revealing a T-shirt of a band Haru didn't recognize.

"Don't worry about taking your clothes out of the drawers. I'll leave mine in the case."

Noticing that Hiroko didn't bring much he asked, "Where is the rest of your stuff?"

"Storage," She responded.

"The neighbors have loud sex," Haru added.

"I don't mind! I'm a heavy sleeper."

She opened her brief case and took out a cosmetic bag and settled it next to Haru's alarm clock.

"I hope you don't mind that I put some of my things on the nightstand."

Haru shrugged, "Do what you want." As long as he could still find his own things and that she didn't snoop around, he didn't mind whatever she did in his room. He mostly uses Makoto's anyways.

Not long after that, Makoto arrived and Haru greeted him with a kiss.

"Welcome home, I made dinner." Haru said after the kiss.

"Alright, I'll be at the table in five, let me put away my stuff and--

Haru's boyfriend eyes widened when he saw Hiroko already seated at the table and talking on the phone with somebody. The brunette turned to Haru with a confused expression.

"A-Aki?" Makoto whispered.

Haru shook his head, "Her daughter, Hiroko."

Makoto's jade eyes lit up in recognition. They had talked on the phone, but Makoto didn't know what she looked like until that moment. "Alright! I'll be back!" the taller male pecked the shorter one's lips before going into his room.

Haru went into the kitchen and began setting dinner at the table. Hiroko had helped too, after she hung up on the phone.

"Ah, Haru! That smells so good!" Makoto called out as he exited his bedroom.

Haru blushed slightly as he finished setting up the table. The three of them sat at the table.

"Hi, you're Hiroko right? I'm Makoto Tachibana, we talked on the phone before remember?" Makoto held out his hand to the girl, "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Tachibana." Hiroko smiled as she shook hands with him.

As they ate dinner, Makoto talked about his day while the other two listened attentively. Hiroko had also chimed in about her day, complaining about her day at the airport. However throughout dinner when the brunette thought nobody was looking he'd frown. Haru was worried that Makoto had a tough break up. 

As they cleanup for dinner, Haru catches Makoto's hand and squeezes them.

"Everything alright?" Haru asked.

Makoto nodded, "I'm fine, why?"

"You look a bit shaken, did something happen when you broke up with her?"

Makoto shook his head and kissed Haru. As he pulled away, he smiled. Haru recognized the smile on Makoto's lips. It was a false one, one that he used when he didn't want somebody worrying about him.

"We're done. I'm all yours now."

The statement should be something that makes Haru the happiest person in the world. Just a few hours ago, he would have jumped into Makoto's arms and kiss him senseless. But the brunette said it so dully, instead of happily, that Haru can only feel slightly relieved, because he was more worried.

"Makoto--"

There's a crash that comes from the kitchen and Makoto squeezes Haru's hand as if to say "We'll talk later."

The crash had come from the cabinets, where pots and pans were now scattered all over the kitchen floor. Hiroko was already trying to put them back, but there was so many and she needed help.

Makoto immediately bent down to help her pick up the fallen kitchen ware while Haru started to put then back in the cabinets.

"I swear, I was just doing the dishes when they just fell out!" Hiroko said as she picked up a pan and handed it to Haru.

"It's fine," Makoto responded, "It happens all the time."

Haru nodded in affirmation as he settled the pan inside the cabinet.

"Thank you for helping," she said after everything was returned.

"No problem," Makoto replied, "Would you like help with anything else?"

Hiroko shook her head, "I can handle the rest thank you. You both need some rest for tomorrow right?"

The black-haired man nodded, and tugged his boyfriend's shirt, "She's right. Let's go to bed."

"Ah! I almost I forgot!" the girl said as the couple turned to leave, "This is for you!" She handed them an envelope, "It isn't much but it's a thank you."

"Thank you." Makoto replied a sweet smile on his face, "We appreciate it. Right Haru?"

"Yeah."

"And you two make a lovely couple," Hiroko added, with a smile.

It's not that it's the first time he's ever heard it, in fact, it has been said several times before they got together, but Haru realized it's been a long time since he heard that phrase. And hearing it made his heart ache, realizing all the times they had said it when Makoto and Haru weren't together. Everybody had mistaken them as a couple. They all figured it out before they themselves did. He wondered, if it weren't for his density, would they have gotten together sooner? Could there have been less drama and pain if he had confessed earlier?

Makoto must have thought the same thing because, his eyes have widened and his mouth was slightly agape. Haru figured he must have a similar expression. But he can still feel the warmth of Makoto's hand in his, and he figured that it doesn't matter anymore. Even if they could have been together earlier, they are now, and that's what Haru needed to focus on. No more drama, just his love for Makoto.

Hiroko blushed, "N-not that there are soulmates that aren't a good couple! But the two of you fit so well together, you just stand out."

Haru frowned, "We actually... don't know if..."

"Oh! Sorry about that! I didn't know! But soulmates or Soulless, you two make a lovely couple."

"It's alright," Haru responded turning to leave, "Let's go Makoto."

He caught a glimpse of Makoto's pale face and sorrow expression before smiling down at Haru, tilting his head and closing his eyes in that way that Haru has engraved inside his head.

"Okay Haru."

The black-haired man decided to drop his observation for now. He's happy and Makoto is too. He wanted to savor it for a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post the revised chapter whenever my beta has the time to finish it! :D 
> 
> Also thank you so much for 13K hits! <3 I didn't know my mediocre writing was so appealing to you! <3
> 
> And of course, if you haven't noticed yet, I finished writing the entire fic it just needs to be edited now so I'm thinking of posting the remaining chapters unedited in the upcoming weeks so the whole thing will be complete before the new season/movie/whatever of Free comes out.
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated! :D


	20. A Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 4, 2017: In order to convince Hiroko's siblings that she should stay with Makoto and Haruka, they invite them over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! :D

It sucked having early morning practice on your birthday. Sousuke had said that it was fine, that they'll celebrate it later but it still peeved Rin. Instead of having a lazy morning in bed, he had to hurriedly run around his apartment and hastily kiss his half-asleep soulmate before rushing out of the door. Instead of having Sousuke's cooking for breakfast, he had to have leftovers from last night's dinner. Even the train ride to the stadium was disastrous because he was bored out of his mind without having Sousuke entertain him by talking about his athletes. He called them "a bunch of little shits" but Rin knew Sousuke was fond of all of them. Sousuke watched all of his athletes carefully, perfecting their form and putting them on a strict schedule, He wanted to them to be the best and trained them with efficiently, but he also made an effort to make it clear how much he wanted to them work. Sousuke didn't want them to end up like their coach. Even though everything had turned out alright in the end, the process of having to give up swimming and go through therapy was something Sousuke didn't want anybody to go through. 

Rin sighed as he realized how much he enjoyed those types of rides. But Sousuke's athletes didn't have practice so he has no need to be there.

Rin groggily got out of the train at the stop, trudging his bag as he made his way to practice. He was the first to arrive in the changing room so he had to turn on the lights.

"Surprise!"

The still half-asleep Rin suddenly awakened as all his teammates and coach popped up from behind lockers and benches. There was confetti being thrown into the air. A few of his teammates were blowing harshly into noisemakers, creating the most irritating sound in the world.

And yet Rin couldn't help himself but smile. He can even feel tears starting to form in his eyes as he looked at everybody's smiling faces. A banner saying _Happy Birthday_ hung above them.

A blonde-haired boy with purple eyes named Kazuma, laughed, "Oh he's going to cry!"

"I'm _not_!" Rin denied as he sniffled, "You guys are just too nice!"

The red head's coach laughed, "You deserve it, Matsuoka. You have been a valuable member of the national team and a role model for our country's younger athletes for generations. We wanted to thank you for all your hard work."

"Mhm!" a shorter male with gray hair and light blue eyes named Ai agreed, "You are a great asset to our team and you deserve all of this Matsuoka-senpai!"

There was a chorus of agreements coming from other athletes. Rin rubbed his eyes because it was too early to start getting overwhelmed. He smiled, his sharp teeth visible as he thanked them.

After that, practice was back on, and despite it being Rin's birthday, his coach was merciless. He was completely winded by the time he got back home and it was only 1 in the afternoon. He wanted nothing more but to snuggle with Sousuke in the sheets of his bed and sleep for the rest of the week. As he waited for his stop on the train, he read the messages he had received while he was at practice. There was one from Makoto, wishing him a happy birthday and to visit him soon. He had even included Haru's, which made Rin chuckle because he doubted Haru would actually wish Rin a happy birthday.

There were other happy birthday messages from other friends. There was a reminder from his coach about the next practice on his team's group message that was followed by replies from his teammates. Lastly, there was a message from Sousuke saying that he woke up and was happily waiting for Rin. The red-head smiled, his eagerness to get home increasing.

When he did finally get home he smelled food still in preparation. Rin kicked off his shoes at the door and announced he was home.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Sousuke called out.

Rin dropped his bag on the table and wrapped his arms around a still cooking Sousuke.

"Welcome back Rin," Sousuke responded as he continued cooking.

Rin hummed and when he received no response he said." What? No 'Happy Birthday Rin?' Wow."

Sousuke chuckled still cooking, "Your sister called wanting to wish you happy birthday."

Rin nodded, "I'll call her when our time zones allow us to again. It's late over there at the moment."

Sousuke turned off the stove, "Lunch is ready."

Rin grinned and parted from his lover to get out the drinks. As they ate, Rin told Sousuke what happened in practice.

"I'm surprised you didn't end up crying," Sousuke teased.

Rin sputtered incoherent words as he slapped Sousuke's good shoulder, "You idiot! Stop saying things that make me sound like a crybaby!"

"Well..."

Rin slapped Sousuke's shoulder again, "Stop that!"

"Okay, okay I'll stop," Sousuke said.

After eating Sousuke cleaned up the table as he told Rin to wait for him in the living room. Rin sat on the couch wishing Sousuke to hurry up. He knew that Sousuke was gathering all the presents he had hidden around the apartment to give to Rin. And he did enjoy the presents, but what he really wanted was Sousuke and his touch and his body.

Sousuke nervously entered the room and Rin frowned.

"Sousuke? Is there something wrong?" Rin worriedly asked.

Sousuke took a deep breath as if he was trying to calm himself down. And then he pulled out a box from his pocket and he started to blush.

"R-Rin," he was stammering like a school kid now which was completely uncharacteristic but at the same time, it was, "We've uh known each other for three years and I've enjoyed every moment with you. From our first kiss to that time we got cabin fever in that ski lodge when the storm took out all of the electricity, to my injury that led me to quit swimming and pursue coaching. You were with me through it all, and there is nobody in this world who I would have by my side. You're the best soulmate I could ever ask for and I'm--" Sousuke wiped away tear.

Rin teasingly smiled, "Who is the cry baby now?"

"Shut up I'm trying to be sentimental," Sousuke snapped,"What I'm trying to say is..." He held out the box and opened it revealing a ring, "Will you marry me?"

Rin's eyes widened and gasped. Sousuke's teal eyes were gleaming with so much love he wondered what he had done to deserve such a perfect man as his soulmate.

"Yes!" Rin said through his tears as he kissed Sousuke. "I will marry you Sousuke yes!"

"Happy birthday Rin."

-  
Makoto had to admit that Hiroko was a joy to live with. She was quiet and kind. She spent a lot of time in her room because she didn't want to bother the men with her "house-hunting". The brunette spent a lot of time out of the apartment too, checking houses with her agent. Because of this, the apartment still felt like it was just Haru and Makoto.

But she did make her presence evident and she did make an effort in spending time with her roommates. She always had dinner with them, sometimes she would help Haru cook, or she'd surprise the couple on tiring days by buying takeout or cooking herself.

And she was a fun person to hang out with. She told the greatest stories, from childhood memories to humor, to horror, and conversations with her can last for _hours_ without one realizing it.

There would be days when the three of them would gather around the TV and watch a movie and she would constantly be refilling the popcorn, like a hungry child. Makoto had to stop her several times from leaving because it was distracting and she would apologize, a small smile on her face as she blushed and scratched the back of her neck which showed her sincerity.

She respected Haru and Makoto. She gave them their privacy, never going into the couple's shared room. She would leave her room when Haru asked to get something of his and liked to keep everything tidy if given permission to. It never felt like she was ever trying to get in between their relationship.

They loved Hiroko like she was their own. Granted, she wasn't theirs and she resembled Haru's childhood friend, but it felt like they had adopted her. She had Makoto's love for chocolate. The girl hasn't lived with them for a month and she had brought home a ginormous box of chocolates to share with Makoto five times already. She had a passion for art, like Haru, and the two have littered the place with paintbrushes and paper and whatever they had used for a project they came up with together and decided to work on. She liked seafood the best, and when she mentioned her favorite food was any kind of fish, Haru lit up and told her how he loved mackerel (Makoto groaned in realization that with two against one, he'll be having mackerel for the rest of his life).

Yeah, Hiroko was nice to live with.  
\----  
Makoto arrived exhausted from his last class. There was a lot of notes to take and the teacher went through everything too quickly. All the students in the class stayed back for an extra half hour to make sure everybody had gotten the notes and to check if anything was missing. By the time he had gotten to the apartment, Makoto just wanted to go to bed and sleep until noon for the next day.

"I'm home!" Makoto called out as he entered the apartment.

"We're in the kitchen!" Hiroko replied.

Makoto nodded and headed towards the kitchen. Haru and Hiroko were sitting at the counter both drinking and talking. Makoto walked up to Haru and kissed him.

"Welcome back," Haru said, " We ordered pizza today."

Makoto sighed, "So everybody was too tired today huh?"

His two roommates nodded as Makoto stifled a yawn.

"Now that the two of you are here I want to ask you something..." Hiroko said as Makoto took a seat next to Haru at the counter.

"What's wrong?" the taller man asked.

"Well... you see... since mom died, I had no place to go and I decided to come here, and...my siblings didn't like it..." she laughed nervously, her fingers tapping the glass of water in her hands, "Let's just say they don't really approve of my decisions..."

Haru frowned, "But you're a capable adult and they're both younger than you. Just tell them to fuck off."

Makoto sighed. Haru was an only child and had a stubborn personality, of course, he would say something like that. He just didn't have the understanding of how important a family's opinion on something actually was.

"That's not how it works Haru." Makoto said, "You just can't tell your family to let it be if they're just worried about you."

Hiroko nodded, "Makoto's right and uh..." she leaned over to Haru and whispered, "I've already tried that."

"Well, have you tried convincing them it'll be fine?" Makoto suggested.

She shook her head, "They won't listen to me. They don't like how I decided to move in with you guys instead of Erica. I keep on telling them you two are the mosy kindest guys ever and that the neighborhood is nice and so, but they won't listen!"

"So how about we show them?" Makoto suggested.

Hiroko eyes widened, "Yes! We should invite them over! Show them the place and everything! And when they see how nice this place is they'll surely stop worrying!"

"I guess it would work," Haru shrugged, "But when would that happen?"

"This Saturday! Erica lives in New York anyways and I can convince my brother to take a break from work!" She hugged the two men at the same time, "Thank you so much!"

Makoto laughed as Haru mumbled, "It wasn't even my idea..."

The girl went back to her room and the taller man intertwined his fingers with his lover. They were finally alone and Makoto wanted to make the most of it until dinner.

Haru's hand cupped Makoto's face and he smiled gently, "You look tired. Long day?"

Makoto sighed, "There were a lot of notes and it was hard to keep up."

Haru nodded before kissing Makoto. The shorter man's lips were a comfort and the taller man felt like he could get lost in the kiss forever.

"You should rest," Haru suggested when he pulled away, "I'll get you when the pizza arrives."

Makoto nodded, "I will. Ah! I have to text Rin 'Happy Birthday'."

"Tell him I said 'Happy Birthday' as well," Haru said as he pecked Makoto's cheek, "Now go get some rest."

\-----

Makoto is a nervous wreck on Saturday. He has probably cleaned the kitchen counters three, no, _four_ times and has checked for missed spots on every single surface. His hands were shaking as he brushed his hair and the others had noticed how nervous he was because Hiroko squeezed his arm and Haru peppered kisses all over his back when he had returned to his room to get ready.

Haru was nervous too. The brunette could tell by the way Haru fidgeted with his hair as he stared into the mirror and how he adjusted his clothes.  The party wasn't anything fancy but Hiroko had said she was wearing a dress, so it probably meant that the couple shouldn't dress too casually. They wore the same outfits they had back at Christmas Eve, deciding it was a perfect balance between the two. Haru had even adjusted Makoto's clothes and they both laughed realizing how ridiculous they were acting. But it was understandable. They both wanted Hiroko to be happy and make a good impression on her siblings.

"It'll be fine," Makoto assured, not sure if it was for Haru or himself.

Haru nodded, "Yeah."

Sapphire eyes met jade ones and Makoto had to fight the urge to kiss Haru. He knew that once their lips touched, it would be hard to pull apart and he didn't want to ruin his clothes before they arrived. The doorbell rang and the two of them snap of their trance.

"Donna and Sophia probably," the black-haired man said. They had invited the neighbors, to show Hiroko's siblings how nice everybody in the neighborhood was.

"We should go anyways."

They left their room and saw that Hiroko had beaten them to the door was welcoming the couple into the apartment. Hiroko wore a white laced dress with silver heels. Her wavy hair was curled at the ends as they cascaded down her back. Donna was wearing a laced blue dress, with brown sandals. Her black hair was tied up into a ponytail and she had big dangling earrings. Sophia wore a black high-low dress with heels, making her look taller than Donna. Sophia's hair had grown long enough that it covered the many piercings her ears had. But there was nothing to hide the various tattoos that were all over her body.

"Good evening Hiroko!" Donna greeted the brunette, "It's nice to finally see your apartment!"

Sophia laughed in agreement as the couple entered together, "Yeah your two roommates have never invited us over!" She pouted, "Talk about mean!"

"It's not like we meant to!" Makoto defended, "We're busy with college and stuff!"

Sophia laughed even harder as she hugged the two men, "Alright, alright, you do have that excuse."

Donna came up from behind her girlfriend and smiled. In her hands she held a container which no doubt held food.

"It's nothing special but I hope the two of you like it!" Donna said as she handed the container to Haru.

"Thank you, we'll try it later," Haru responded as he went into the kitchen to put it away.

Sophia swung an arm around Makoto's shoulders and whispered into the brunette's ear, "A rumor has been spreading around that you and Haru are now an item."

Makoto nodded and smiled as he scratched his neck, "Ahh, yes, it is true that Haru and I are together now."

Sophia's brown eyes lit up and she gasped, "No way! I'm glad there's another Soulless couple around town, especially that it's you two."

Makoto fought back the urge to frown when she mentioned Soulless. He had still not forgotten about his ex's words about them and it still bothered him. He didn't like using the term to describe his relationship with Haru, especially now that he knows what it truly meant.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang again to reveal a blonde girl with blue eyes with similar features to Hiroko. She wore a red dress with black flats and her blonde hair swayed as she walked. _Erica_.

So this was who Hiroko's younger sister was. Makoto dried his sweaty palms by rubbing them against his pants and strolled over to the siblings.

"Hi!" Makoto put up the friendliest smile he could muster, ignoring his beating heart as he held out his hand, "I'm Makoto Tachibana, Hiroko's roommate. It's a pleasure to meet y--"

He paused realizing he recognized the girl from somewhere. It couldn't be.

The girl smiled as she took Makoto's hand, "Likewise."

"Erica," Haru said from behind Makoto. He looked annoyed, as if he knew who she was, "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting my sister silly!" Erica responded as she hugged an even more annoyed Haru. "Hiroko! If you had told me one of your roommates was one of my old classmates I wouldn't have pestered you so much! Haru was the guy I told you about that showed me that bakery remember?"

Hiroko's eyes widened, "Oh yes! I didn't know it was him who you were talking about!"

Makoto eyes widened, "You were the girl who brought us to our table on New Year's Eve."

Erica winked at Makoto, "Ha, ha! It's a small world isn't it?"

Haru mumbled, "It's too small." Before finally hugging the blonde back.

Hiroko had not closed the door, allowing a boy to slip past her into the apartment. Or what he could've done if the brunette had not grabbed the boy's wrist.

"Where do you think you're going, Gabriel?" Hiroko asked.

Gabriel laughed, "Well there goes my 'casual' entrance."

Hiroko smiled bitterly, "Uh-huh. Next time just ring the doorbell."

The smile on the boy's face remained as he turned to Makoto. He can make out the highlights of blonde hair in the brown hair of the boy's head.

His palms are sweating again and he can feel his heart rate increasing as Gabriel smiled and held out his hand.

"You must be one of my sister's roommates right?" he asked.

"Yes! I'm Makoto Tachibana, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Makoto mustered the best smile he can and shook Gabriel's hand.

And just like that, it's over. Hiroko's brother moved on to greet the others and a wave of relief washed over Makoto. The hardest part is over, and now he just has to wait for the results.

Gabriel moved on to greet his other sister, who was teasing Haru over something Makoto didn't quite get. And then he moved on to Haru.

Gabriel's brown eyes scanned Haru's appearance as he greeted himself. Haru didn't smile back when the boy did. Instead, he held out his hand, his facial expressions neutral as he said "Haruka Nanase. Nice to meet you."

It looked awkward to anybody who didn't know Haru but one can tell by his eyes that Haru was being sincere.

"Are you the other roommate?" Gabriel asked as he took his head.

Haru nodded stiffly.

"You aren't one to talk huh?" Gabriel asked with a smile, "It's alright. As a man who has worked with several people I have learned that the silent ones are the wisest ones." He clapped Haru's back, "You aren't too bad Nanase."

As Gabriel strolled away, Haru sighed in relief. His hand was over his heart and as he exhaled his eyes closed, the tension on his face went away and he showed a brief smile. It was officially over for the both of them. Makoto went to Haru and planted a quick peck on the lips.

"You did lovely," Makoto complimented.

Haru's face reddened and he turned his face away, "It's not like I did anything special..."

Makoto laughed, "True, but you were nervous and you look like you need some encouragement."

His boyfriend rolled his eyes, "Idiot."

But he didn't move away when Makoto leaned in for a kiss.

-  
Hiroko held her breath as she watched her brother approach Makoto. She knew her brother well, he was a kind person but extremely judgmental. He doesn't let _anything_ go. And she can tell that Makoto was nervous by the way his face paled as Gabriel approached him.

_Please like him._

Hiroko watched as her brother held out his hand, his brown eyes studying Makoto. He was already judging her roommate and he hadn't even spoken a word! After her brother greeted him, Makoto smiled a blinding smile and Hiroko could feel herself relax. _Good_. With that smile of his, Gabriel would instantly fall in love with Makoto.

Her predicaments are confirmed when Gabriel's eyes slightly widened and then crinkled as if they were smiling. She knew that he was thinking about the brunette's smile and had decided that one who smiled like that had to be a good person.

Hiroko's brother left Makoto and she could feel herself exhale. One down. One more to go. She could also see the relieved look on Makoto's face, some of his color finally returning. Now it was Haru's turn.

Haru had a personality that was difficult if one didn't know him. Hiroko was positive she could never figure him out. Gabriel has worked with many people, and she wasn't sure if even he could handle Haru's aloofness. He might take it the wrong way. She doesn't want her brother to. She wants to stay with them. They were both kind and unique and likable in their own strange ways. Something that she needed while she looked for a more permanent home.

Gabriel caught Haru's attention and Haru looked at him with seemingly disinterested eyes. Makoto was watching the event go down too and she found herself praying alongside him that everything would go well.

As Gabriel approached the black-haired man, he studied Haru, from his outfit to his neutral gaze. Hiroko can see the slight irritation on Gabriel's face. _This guy is unreadable!_

And then Haru's sapphire eyes drifted to Makoto for a brief second before facing Gabriel. If Hiroko was able to catch it, Gabriel certainly had. She frowned realizing that Gabriel would probably have something to say about that.

She's right, the slight raise of his brow indicated that he was thrown off by Haru's action and was wondering who Haru was glancing at. His brown eyes glance in the direction of Haru's and saw Makoto and his face twitched into a smile. Hiroko almost gasped. She hadn't expected Gabriel to smile like that.

He must have figured out that they were a couple. Hiroko couldn't believe it. They were standing nearly ten feet apart so it was hard to see the attraction they had for each other compared to when they are standing side by side. Yet, Gabriel was able to deduce that just by the simple glance Haru gave Makoto. Amazing. She didn't even know her brother could do that.

Gabriel is smiling as he greeted Haru. Haru doesn't smile back but her brother doesn't seem to be irritated by that. He said something else and Haru nodded stiffly. Gabriel was amused and decided to add in another comment. He patted Haru's back. It meant that he found Haru interesting. Perhaps he had lost his irritation when he realized her roommates were a couple. He must have figured that if angelic Makoto was with mysterious Haru, Haru couldn't be a bad person. Hiroko almost jumped with joy.

It's over, her brother seemed to like them, if she could just keep it up for a bit more her brother would be convinced that it's fine for her to stay with them.

As Makoto approached Haru to congratulate him, Hiroko silently cheered with them. The worst part was over.

-  
Before the kiss can deepen, Haru pushed Makoto away. His jade eyes sparkled with amusement and Haru couldn't help himself from blushing.

"Let's not get carried away," Haru said looking away. They were at a party after all. They had to show _some_ manners.

Makoto smiled, "Hmm! Let's go and join the others."

Hiroko was introducing her siblings to the neighbors. She first introduced her little sister to Donna. Haru wasn't interested in seeing the greeting's turn out but Makoto was interested so Haru had to pay attention. Erica was a loud and outgoing person, she could hit it off with anyone instantly.

And as predicted, all that Erica had to was smile and talk in her uplifting voice and Donna was replying with as much enthusiasm.

"You study at the same college as Makoto and Haru?" Donna asked.

Erica nodded, "I'm in a lot of classes with Haru but we have different career paths. I want to be a graphic designer!"

"Well good luck!" Donna said as she pushed her girlfriend Sophia in front of Erica, "This is my girlfriend Sophia!"

Donna had pushed her too far that she ended up standing really close to Erica. A blush crept onto her cheeks. What was even more surprising was that Erica was blushing too and her whole outgoing persona had flown out the window. They were just quietly staring at each other for a few seconds.

Erica coughed and looked away, her blush reddening, "You're uh..."

"Oh!" Sophia backed away from the blonde, "Sorry about that! Donna doesn't know her own strength."

Sophia turned around to shoot her girlfriend a look but Donna simply stuck out her tongue.

"Can you believe this girl?" Sophia turned back to the blonde, her blush completely gone.

Erica's blush hadn't gone away. And she still hasn't gotten back to her usual outgoing self. It was an amusing sight, Haru had never seen Erica get tongue-tied before.

"R-right.." she said.

"Aw!" Gabriel cooed, "Our little Erica is embarrassed!"

The blonde smacked the back of her older brother's head, "I'm not!"

Gabriel simply stuck out his tongue as an exasperated Hiroko sighed.

After hours of talking, fooling around and drinking everybody left and the three of them sighed in relief.

Makoto pecked Haru's cheek, "I'm going to shower."

Haru nodded, "Wait for me, I'll join you."

Makoto blushed and looked away, "Uh, let's not today okay?"

He frowned realizing he won't be able to shower with his boyfriend.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" the brunette said as he kissed Haru.

After he left, Haru decided to get a drink and headed to the kitchen. Hiroko was also there, her laptop balanced on one hand as she poured herself some water.

"Your laptop is going to fall and break if you do that." Haru chastised.

"It is not!" the girl snapped as she set down the glass of water and capped the jug, "Geez you sound just like my mother..." She paused, realizing what she had said was incorrect and frowned looking away from her roommate, "Or at least you sound like how she used to be."

Haru cautiously approached her, "Are you alright?"

The brunette shook her head. He could see that she was trying to fight back tears.

"It's alright," Haru assured, "You're allowed to mourn."

Hiroko nodded as she took a sip of her drink, "I know that. I just...really miss her."

Haru smiled, "I understand, I miss her too."

"She was like family to you, wasn't she? I wonder if--

"Come with me."

"Huh?" Hiroko arched an eyebrow, "To where?"

Haru waved his hand and turned around. Hiroko followed. He opened the door to his room and headed straight towards one of the drawers.

"I probably should have shown this to you weeks ago but uh...here." Haru handed a picture frame to Hiroko.

It was a photo of Aki and Haru with a group of other friends in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was the last photo Haru had of Aki before they had split.

Hiroko's eyes widened and she traced the image of her mother with her fingertips. She looked back up at Haru, her eyes filling with tears.

"I've always said you look just like your mother have I?"

Hiroko nodded. She wiped away her tears with her arm.

"I spent 9 centuries with her, she was the closest thing I had to a family during that time. I cared for her deeply and we had a special bond. But I know she doesn't want me to cry. She wants me to be happy, and I know she wants that for you too."

Hiroko nodded, her tears still spilling and Haru pitied her. He hugged her and she held on tightly to him, wetting his shirt with her tears.

"It'll get easier over time," Haru assured.

There was a soft chuckle and Haru lifted his head to see Makoto in more casual clothes, a mug in one of his hands and that smile that always filled Haru's heart.

"It's nice of you to finally join us." Haru joked as he patted the crying girl's back.

Makoto laughed, "Well I guess I missed a heartfelt scene."

"Not yet. Join us."

Makoto laughed and set down his mug, "Alright."

He embraced Haru along with Hiroko and the room remained silent except for the girl's occasional sob. Makoto's arm felt warm and Haru could find himself drifting off.

And Makoto's soothing words to help cheer up Hiroko were like a lullaby, where he couldn't stop himself from dreaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY I TOOK FOREVER TO UPLOAD THIS SCHOOL HAS CONSUMED ME AHHHHH. On the bright side, summer is right around the corner so I'll be able to post more often!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! I'm sorry that I don't always respond I've been so busy with school and life and etc. but I always read the things you comment and they always warm my heart! <3


	21. Old Habits Die Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> February 21, 2017: Haru receives a letter from another university inviting him to study abroad next semester.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for 15k hits! :D
> 
> Enjoy! <3

It just so happened to be snowing heavily during lunch time so all the students gathered around the dining hall. It's the busiest Makoto has ever seen the place, he struggled to find a table that would fit his group of friends. And the only ones that currently had no classes at the same time as him were Haru and Tony.

Makoto managed to find a spot towards the back of the place and texted his friends where to meet. Not even a minute after, the two of them had found him. Tony was talking to Haru animatedly while Haru walked alongside him listening attentively to what he had to say. Makoto chuckled. The brunette remembered being suspicious of his boyfriend not liking his Latino friend, but he's glad that Haru has warmed up to Tony.

Haru settled himself next to Makoto while Tony took his spot across from them.

"Hey, I missed you this morning," Makoto said as he kissed Haru's cheek.

"I had an early morning class, and you didn't wake up," Haru mumbled and looked away, but the faint blush on his cheeks told Makoto he missed him too.

"Right, sorry!" Makoto giggled, "Hey Tony, how are you?"

"I'm great. I just recently met my soulmate. She's absolutely beautiful, look." Tony brought out his phone and showed them the lock screen. It was a picture of him with a short black girl with the kinkiest hair to ever exist.

Makoto looked up from the phone and smiled, "She is beautiful."

"I'm so lucky to have her as my soulmate!

Haru chuckled, "Congratulations Tony."

Tony smiled, "Thank you. Oh! You guys need to see this video of her dancing. She wants to join this huge dance company and goes to that performing arts school over the river. Look!"

Makoto stopped paying attention to the conversation. A few tables behind Tony was the ex. She was resting her head on a new guy's shoulder. Already? Well, apparently she is right that Soulless really aren't capable of love.

"Makoto?" the black-haired man asked, "What's wrong?"

Makoto let out a shaky breath as he nodded towards the direction of her. Haru's sapphire eyes followed the direction and caught sight of her. His eyes narrowed. Tony too was staring in her general direction.

" _Dios mio_ ," Tony said, "That's your ex isn't it?"

The couple nodded and their friend laughed.

"Don't worry about it, her love life has nothing to do with yours right?"

Haru sighed, suddenly disinterested in talking, "I guess so."

Makoto nodded wearily. He couldn't stop thinking about what she had told him when they broke up. And again, he wondered if that meant that he and Haru shared the same fate. He doesn't want them to, but just the possibility that it could happen breaks his heart.

Haru squeezed his hand and the brunette smiled. He doesn't know about Makoto's problems but he does know that Haru cares for him. And that's enough, isn't it?

-

Haru had begun to notice that something was bothering Makoto. At first, Haru just assumed that the brunette was just worrying, that it will pass by and Haru shouldn't be worried. But he's come to realize that Makoto looked bothered almost half of the time now, especially since the encounter with the ex. And Haru was still not sure whether he should interfere or not and it's all because he doesn't know what is going on. Had something happened when Makoto broke up with her? Are they secretly still together?

The black-haired man sighed as he entered the apartment. They couldn't possibly still be together. He was just being paranoid. But Haru still had a feeling something had happened on that day. Perhaps he should ask Makoto about it...

"Welcome back Haru!" Hiroko called out, "How were your classes?"

"Nothing special," Haru answered.

The girl laughed, "As per usual. Oh! The mail arrived, they're on the counter."

"Okay." he responded, walking into the kitchen.

There was a small pile of mail waiting for him and Haru picked up the envelopes. It was mostly junk mail, and bills and Haru was about to just throw everything away when he noticed something at the bottom of the pile.

**University of Tokyo**

Haru blinked. He hasn't received anything from his home country and much less anything in his native language in a while. He picked up the envelope and noticed it was addressed to him. He opened it.

Dear Mr. Haruka Nanase,

Haruka, you're a student that has caught our eye, and we want to give you the best education the world can offer you. Your school has a study abroad program that lets you study your major all around the world for two semesters. Our university is one of the many choices that you can do. We invite you to study with next fall. Enclosed with this letter is our contact information. We look forward to hearing from you.

Amakata Miho

Haru's eyes widened as he finished the letter. A chance to study in his home country next year? The ability to travel across the world again? Haru's heart leaped and he was reminded of the old times in which he used to travel across the world. He missed those days, and he had to admit he was starting to get tired of his apartment, and New York. And it is his home country, of course, he already has a home there that he still pays for and he could live there while he attended the place.

He almost grabbed the phone to call the place when he froze. _Makoto_. In the spur of the moment, he had forgotten the most important thing. He has left that kind of life, and he has settled in the United States to study. He had friends and a lover. He couldn't just leave it all behind, could he? That would be cruel of him wouldn't it? He couldn't do this to Makoto. And certainly not after what happened with Aki. He won't even consider it anymore.

And yet, instead of throwing it in the trash like all the others, he simply stuffed it in the pocket of his jacket.

-

Makoto came home to find Hiroko laid on the couch playing around with her laptop.

"Welcome home!" Hiroko called out, "Haru is in your bedroom if you're wondering..."

"Thank you Hiroko." Makoto said as he entered the bedroom. His lover was at the desk, working on a project. His sketchbook was open, probably a draft on what his actual project will be.

The taller man wrapped his arms around the smaller man's waist and kissed his neck. Haru chuckled and turned his head around, a small smile present as he kissed Makoto back.

"Welcome back," Haru said.

Makoto hummed, "So how was your day?"

Haru shrugged, "Okay."

The brunette leaned over his lover to see the sketch. "What are you working on?"

Haru looked at the sketch, it was of somebody's hand in extreme detail and Haru's faced reddened as he shoved the sketchbook into Makoto's arms.

"Y-you should take a look yourself..."

Makoto eyes widened slightly before turning his attention to the sketchbook. He opened the sketchbook to a random page. The brunette gasped. It was a detailed drawing of Makoto's face, asleep on the bed. He wondered when Haru had gotten the time to do something like this, how Haru could make him look beautiful. And then his eyes fell upon the date.

"This is..."

It was finished the day after they slept together for the first time. The black-haired man nodded. Makoto's heart filled with joy as he flipped through the other pages. A sketch of Makoto's hands, a drawing of Makoto doing ordinary stuff, a portrait of a smiling Makoto. The whole sketchbook was of him. To come and think that Haru enjoyed Makoto's appearance for so long made almost all of Makoto's worries fade away.

"It's beautiful Haru." Makoto whispered.

Haru blushed, "It's really nothing--"

Makoto hands cupped Haru's face, "It's beautiful. You're so talented."

He leaned forward and kissed Haru. Their lips met in a deep and passionate kiss. Haru's sketchbook was forgotten on the ground as Haru opened his mouth and pressed even more.

The two men moaned as Haru pushed Makoto unto their bed, somehow managing to keep their lips attached. Haru climbed on to Makoto's lap and cupped the brunette's face before lightly nipping Makoto's lips. How is it that even after a month Haru still managed to take away Makoto's breath?

Makoto's hands fell unto his boyfriend's waist and flipped them, so that Haru laid underneath Makoto. His lips are immediately attached to Haru's neck as he nips and sucks at the pale skin. The smaller male moaned beneath him and wrapped his legs around Makoto's waist. His hands ran up and down the taller man's back as they continued to kiss.

And suddenly they broke apart and stared at each other, Haru's sapphire eyes were practically glowing, and Makoto wondered if his eyes appeared the same to Haru. Haru ran a hand through Makoto's hair.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. _You've been looking down recently. I'm worried._

For a second, Makoto considered telling Haru about what his ex had told him about Soulless couples, but he's too afraid to hear what Haru thought. He doesn't want to lose him.

Instead, he kissed Haru's forehead and cupped his cheek. "I love you."

Haru smiled but shook his head, "I need to know what's wrong."

Makoto sighed in defeat. Haru wasn't going to let it go until he told him, would he?

"Alright," Makoto sighed, "I can't hide the truth can I?"

"It's okay," Haru assured, "Whatever it is we can solve it can we?"

Makoto nodded, "I'm worried about us."

"Us?" Haru's eyes widened.

Before Makoto could explain, there was banging on their door.

"Makoto, Haruka!" Hiroko shouted, "Donna and Sophia are in a heated argument in the hallway!"

The couple exchanged a concerned glance before opening the door. The girl was trembling, and the shouts from the hallway could be heard.

Makoto turned to the girl, "What happened?"

"I don't know, the argument just started!" Hiroko responded, "I don't know what to do!"

Makoto patted her shoulder, "It's alright, let's check it out. Haru?"

The stoic man shrugged, "I don't think we should interfere."

"We don't know if it's bad or not yet. Let's just check it out first okay?" Makoto responded as he opened the door.

Haru sighed and followed them into the hallway.

Sophia and Donna's apartment door was open, and one could see inside that Donna was furiously standing at the door while Sophia ran around their apartment collecting her things.

"I told you! It's nothing!" Sophia yelled.

"Nothing?!" Donna scoffed, "You cheated on me!"

"She's just a friend!" Sophia backlashed as she came up to the door, a backpack slung over her shoulder. "You're worried over nothing!"

"Liar!" Donna was crying at that point, Makoto couldn't tell if it was from frustration, sadness or something else completely different, "I saw you two together!"

Sophia sighed, "She's my friend, and what you saw wasn't what it looked like! Donna, you're the only one I love!"

The girl shook her head, "Great, you're turning into all my exes."

Makoto eyes widened, realizing where the fight was going. His fears were becoming a reality.

"Donna...." Sohpia looked just as shocked, "I can't believe you would think that..."

Donna scoffed wiping away a tear, "Just leave and run into her arms. It's not like I care."

Sophia frowned and tightened her grip on the backpack,"I will be back when you calm down. You need to hear me out."

Her girlfriend shook her head, "Believe me you won't be."

The door is slammed shut in front of Sophia's face and Makoto watched in horror as she stared at the door frozen before bursting into tears. She turned around and started to walk down the hallway when she suddenly made eye contact with Makoto.

Makoto was shaking, his heart pounding as he fought back tears of his own. The only thing he could feel was fear. If this is what happened to Donna and Sophia, then he and Haru could have the same tragic ending and there's nothing they could do about it. Is that the curse of the Soulless?

"Don't worry about me." Sophia said, "She's just overreacting." She wiped away a tear. "Her old relationships ended terribly, kind of like what she thought had happened just now."

Hiroko bit her lip, "But why doesn't she believe you? Why is Donna acting like this? Don't you love each other?"

Sophia frowned, her eyes showing pity. Makoto felt the same way. Hiroko and Haru, they didn't know the bitter truth about the Soulless.

"That's the thing about Soulless," Sophia said with a solemn expression, " _they are incapable of love_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't murder me!!! I swear this fic has a happy ending!!!
> 
> Unedited so there's a bunch of mistakes. I'll fix them later.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! <3


	22. Of the Land and Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> March 18, 2017: Makoto and Haru go on a date to the aquarium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! <3

"Makoto!" Haru called out as the brunette raced back into their apartment. "Makoto!"

Makoto ignored Haru and continued to race to their bedroom, he would have succeeded if Haru hadn't bravely grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Haru could see the pain that was in Makoto's eyes. Their neighbor's fight had left an impression on him and Haru wasn't sure how what to do. The only thing that came to mind was how they really shouldn't have interfered.

"Makoto, what's wrong?" Haru asked.

Makoto looked away from Haru and mumbled incoherent words.

"Does it have to do with earlier what we were about to talk about?"

The taller man nodded, "Yeah..."

And that's when everything clicked together like a puzzle piece.

"Makoto..." Haru looked into the jade eyes of the love of his life and cupped his face, "Why would you even think that? The Soulless mentality is sickening, I would never want to put you through that."

"But Haru, all Soulless go through this--"

"And what if we truly are soulmates? We don't know Makoto, and frankly, I don't care. Even if my actual soulmate showed up I'd remain by your side. Makoto, I chose to love you and I'm sticking with it."

Sapphire eyes stare into jade ones for what felt like an eternity until Haru feels Makoto's lips against his. And he's positive that everything has been resolved.  
\----

Haru heard his phone buzz on the nightstand next to him and he groggily wiggled out of Makoto's arms to reach for it. He checked the notification and smiled. All classes have been cancelled due to the snow storm. Haru slid back his phone unto the nightstand and kissed the top of Makoto's head. The brunette leaned into Haru's touch. The black-haired man lightly shrugged Makoto's shoulder.

"Hey wake up sleepy head," Haru whispered, "All classes have been cancelled."

The brunette opened his eyes and lazily smiled, "Okay. Do we have to turn off the alarm?"

"Yeah. I got it." Haru said as he leaned over his boyfriend's body, "Let's go back to sleep."

"Okay." Makoto yawned as he wrapped his arms around Haru again.

Haru rested his head on to Makoto's bare chest and they laid quietly for a bit. Since they were nude and pressed against each other, Haru could feel the heat radiating from his boyfriend's body. He felt like his body was on fire wherever they touched.

In that comforting warmth, Haru fell asleep again.

When he came to, he heard a slight creaking in the bed and opened his eyes. Makoto was sitting at the edge of the bed his back completely facing Haru. The shorter man sat up as well and wrapped his arms around Makoto from behind.

"Come back to bed." Haru whispered.

The taller man laughed, "It's time to wake up Haru, we slept in for three hours."

Haru groaned, tracing circles on the freckles on Makoto's back, "Can't we stay a little longer?"

"We'll have to get out eventually Haru." the brunette sighed.

"Five more minutes?" he pleaded, " _Please_?"

Makoto sighed, and Haru thought for a moment he was going to give in. The brunette turn around and ran his fingers across Haru's collarbones that were marked from the night before's activity. Haru closed his eyes waiting for Makoto to do something. But he didn't. Instead his hand left Haru's collarbone and Haru opened his eyes to see the brunette grabbing his clothes off the floor.

"You should shower first," Makoto said.

Haru pouted, "Alright,  _buzzkill_."

He heard an offended gasp before feeling his ass whipped. The black-haired man turned around to find the brunette smirking holding his shirt in his hand.

"So...what were you saying?" Makoto taunted.

Haru latched himself to Makoto and kissed him senselessly.

"Haru," Makoto moaned, "We seriously need to shower."

Haru smiled mischievously, "Alright."

He got out of bed and went to take his shower.

After showering, Makoto stepped in to take his. Instead of waiting for him in the bathroom, Haru decided to start making breakfast. Haru put on some clothes and then headed into the kitchen. The moment he stepped out was the moment Hiroko had stepped out from her room, looking as tired as he.

"Morning Haru," Hiroko yawned, "Were classes cancelled today?"

"Yup." Haru responded as he took out a carton of eggs from the fridge.

"Cool, that means we can have a movie day today right?"

Haru shrugged, "Ask Makoto when he gets out of the shower."

Hiroko groaned, "This is going to turn out to be the 'ask your mom' thing again isn't it?"

The black-haired man snorted as he grabbed a bowl from the cabinets. It only happened  _once,_  and it was because neither wanted to make a decision without the other's approval first. But ever since that one event, Hiroko had not been able to let it go.

After he turns on the coffee maker he looked up and noticed a strange bulge in the pocket of his jacket. Haru walked up to the coat rack and dug out what was in the pocket. It was a slip of paper. He opened it and his eyes widened.

It was the letter from that university that wanted him to study abroad. He remembered that so much had happened since, that he had forgotten it had even existed. He left the letter on the counter as he retrieved the coffee.

"Haru is there still green tea? I was wondering if  _whoa_."

The black-haired man turned around to find Hiroko holding unto the letter.

"Hey!" Haru snapped as he leaned over the counter to try to snatch the paper, "That's mine!"

Hiroko laughed, "What's the big deal? It's not like you're actually going to take their offer right?" Her sky blue eyes fell unto the date of the paper and began to fill with uncertainty, "...Right?"

What Haru should have said was that he already made a decision. That his home was in New York with her and Makoto. But he's reminded of the last time he was there and how much it had changed since he left. Japan was his home too. He had a house over there and lived there most of his life. He still had to visit some places, see how they had changed.

"I haven't decided..." Haru responded. "There's a lot to think about..."

And just like that he knew he had created a rift between two versions of him. The old one that loved to travel and the new one that settled.

"Does...Makoto know?"

"No," Haru responded, "So don't tell him."

Hiroko nodded, "I won't tell him. But... I can't help myself but think how torn apart he would feel if you left him."

Haru frowned.  _He knew that,_  "I won't leave him."

The brunette placed the letter back on the counter, her expression sad. For a moment he is reminded of that night with Aki and he felt a pang of guilt. It was happening all over again wasn't it?

"I could be selfish and tell you to stay. But this is your life. So I say..." Hiroko took a deep breath, "Go for it."

Haru brows lifted and gasped, "What?"

"If you really want to go...do it." Hiroko smiled sadly. "We won't like it but we will respect your wishes."

Haru shook his head, "I'm not leaving you guys behind..."

"Don't revolve your decisions around us Haru." Hiroko scowled, "Ask yourself:  _What do you want_?"

"What does Haru want?" Makoto's voice cut in the conversation. The two turned to the man who was fresh out of the shower, his cheeks flushed and wet hair sticking to his forehead. Haru discreetly grabbed the letter and stuffed it in the pocket of his jeans. Makoto came up to Haru and wrapped an arm around him before turning to Hiroko, "Good morning Hiroko. What were you guys talking about?"

Hiroko blushed, a sign that she was nervous, "Uh... nothing! Haru and I were just discussing breakfast! He wants mackerel!"

Makoto, the oblivious, chuckled, "Well why didn't you make some for yourself Haru?"

Haru sighed exasperatedly, "I don't want to pile up the dishes."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Hiroko and I will do it if you don't want to. Go and make yourself mackerel."

Haru rolled his eyes as he went back to cooking. Great. Thanks to Hiroko's curiosity he had extra work to do.

\----

"We haven't gone on a date in a while haven't we?" Makoto asked one day during lunch.

Haru frowned. To come and think about it, since the time they went to the restaurant they haven't done much. Hell, they haven't even been to the bakery since before they got together.

Tony laughed, "Holy shit really? And you guys have been together since like what? Christmas?"

"Almost three months yeah," Makoto chuckled.

Haru rolled his eyes, "We don't need to go on dates when we literally see each other first thing in the morning."

"Yeah but it spices things up, right Makoto?" Tony asked with a wink.

Makoto chuckled, "I mean, neither of you are wrong. But I know on Saturday they will adding a new exhibit to the aquarium in the city next to ours. And it's free admission for all college students that day. What do you think Haru?"

Haru smiled as he cupped Makoto's face, "I'd like that."

"So it's a date?"

"Yeah." Haru said as he pecked Makoto's lips.

Tony exaggerated his 'disgusted' face as he pretended to throw up, "Gross! You're in public you know!"

Haru smirked. "Fuck off Tony it was just a peck."

"Language!" Makoto chastised.

"Right. Sorry." Haru apologized. Sapphire eyes and jade eyes gazed into each other's faces sharing unspoken words.

\----

He slipped on the ring that Makoto had given him for Christmas. In the bathroom light it gleamed. He had just polished it, so the ring looked like it hadn't been used a day past the day he received it. The gray strand of hair had completely faded. It was weird, he had gotten used to that strand and he missed it. Haru shrugged on a red sweater with the initials and mascot of his university.

"Hey Haru?" Makoto asked as he knocked on the door, "Are you done yet?"

"I'll be out in a second." Haru responded.

He opened the door to find Makoto already half-dressed. The brunette's hair looked like a mess, and he was scrambling around the room for something.

"Damn it! Where is it?"

"What are you looking for?"

"The necklace you gave me for Christmas, I swear if I lost it--"

"You mean this one?" Haru tugged on the chain that was around Makoto's neck.

The taller man blushed, "Oh right, I never take it off. Thanks Haru."

The shorter man nodded, "Hurry up or we'll be late."

"That's my line."

After Makoto got dressed, they left the apartment. The chilly March air brought relief to the couple who hadn't accommodated to the freezing atmosphere of the winter.

They got to the aquarium and got their tickets. As they entered Haru's eyes laid upon heaven. The place was stories high, with skeletons of ancient marine animals hanging from the ceiling and outlining staircases. The whole place was in varying shades of blue from navy blue to the color of the sky. There were occasional strobe lights, illuminating darker areas and entrances to darker exhibit that were in blue and green.

"Makoto..." Haru began tugging on the sleeves of his boyfriend's jacket.

"We're not moving into the aquarium Haru." Makoto sternly interrupted.

The black-haired man pouted. Why did he have to shut down such a brilliant idea?

There was a map with smaller brochures beside it and the couple took the brochure and opened it to reveal a map. The couple examined all the possible exhibits.

"So there are currently seven exhibits and two seasonal ones available. Which ones do you think we should check out Haru?"

"Uh..." Haru looked over the map and pointed to a section that was on the third floor, "The 'Great Barrier Reef' looks cool. Oh and the outside one too."

"Unfortunately, the outside one doesn't open until May again." Makoto added.

Haru pouted, "Alright then...'New York... Fish'?"

"Why not?" Makoto said, "We might as well see the ancient marine animals exhibit too."

"Alright," Haru responded.

The 'Great Barrier Reef' was located on the first floor behind a entrance with hanging jellyfish above their heads. As they entered, the lighting changed to a darker hue of blue. There was a sign that read:  **The Great Barrier Reef: Australia's Dying Beauty**.

"Apparently, this exhibit is supposed to raise awareness for global warming and help prevent the bleaching of reefs." Makoto said as he read the brochure, "Did you visit the place?"

Haru nodded, "Of course." He has went scuba diving in the beautiful reefs long before global warming was a term.

Makoto frowned, "I haven't. I guess we can't now..."

Haru shrugged as he pulled Makoto away from the entrance and into the exhibit. The exhibit consisted of several huge tanks showing the coral reefs. Several fish swam around the reefs, all so different that Haru had no idea some even existed. There were information posts that had all their names, descriptions and what they're like, but Haru preferred to just admire the fishes. There was the occasional area where there was an interactive game for little kids, including a virtual reality demonstration of what diving in the reef would be like that was available for anybody willing to pay. There were fish tanks that had entrances in them, big enough for a small child to crawl through and look into the tanks as if they were underwater.

They stumbled upon one big enough for Haru to fit under and he begged Makoto to take a picture of him inside it. The tank was filled with sea anemone and clown fish lazily swimming around them. They later discovered that both of them could fit their heads in the entrance and asked a passerby to take a photo of the two of them.

Lastly, there were several sections with signs about information about the coral reefs and how important it was to save them.

"It's sad," Makoto said as they exited the exhibit, "All those fishes, and turtles...they deserve better."

Haru nodded. It was sad, but it wasn't the first time a beautiful place had been ruined. As long humans were greedy, the environment had no chance in being saved. Eventually, there would be nothing of nature left, and nothing (not even humans) will be left alive on Earth.

Next was the New York Fish exhibit. It had normal lighting and the walls were painted in a pale shade of green. The exhibit consisted mostly of common fish such as hordes of trout and salmon. There were various areas with diagrams explaining the environment of the Hudson River. For the children, there was a separate room where they could play around with a toy canal by pressing several buttons that changed the levels of the water and bridges, which allowed toy boats to pass through. There was another one just like it, except the children had to build the bridges and buildings along the canal.

Towards the end of the exhibit there was a tank with one big fish that looked like it had a swelled face.

"Is that a freshwater fish that actually _lurks_  here?" Makoto asked with disgust.

Haru shrugged, "Dunno, if it's in this exhibit it probably is."

"Does it have a name?" Makoto asked as he began looking for a guide.

"Nope," Haru shrugged, "Guess we'll never--

His head turned to find Makoto puffing his cheeks as if he was imitating the fish. He was trying hard not to laugh, and his face was reddening because of it. Haru laughed.

"What are you doing?" Haru said through his fits of laughter, "You look nothing like the poor fish!"

"Oh can you do better?" Makoto challenged.

Haru smiled as he went up to Makoto. "Can I?" Haru shot back before pursing his lips, puffing his cheeks and squinting his eyes.

Makoto laughed, "You look exactly like the fish!"

Haru snorted and stopped making faces. He stepped up to the brunette and held his face in both of his hands. He stood on the ends of his toes as he pecked Makoto's lips.

They intertwined their hands and headed towards the next exhibit.

"Ooh! Haru look!" Makoto cooed as he pointed to the gift shop, "They have a cute orca plushie!"

Haru smiled as he pointed to the plush next to the killer whale, "They have a dolphin one with it too."

Just then they spotted two little boys race outside of the gift shop, one clutching onto a dolphin plushie and the other hugging an orca. They're giggling happily and passed the couple unaware of the couple watching them. Haru's heart ached as he watched the little boys run to their mothers. He suddenly wondered about an alternate reality where he could have grown up with Makoto. In which he could have had a different kind of forever with the brunette he loves.

Haru turned to Makoto and led him to the next exhibit.

They step into the ancient marines exhibits. The place was highlighted in hues of blue creating an almost eerie like atmosphere. Skeletons of ancient marine animals and their modern evolution next to them decorated the entire place. There was also huge paintings of what they were expected to look like when they were alive. Some looked so terrifying, Makoto cowered behind Haru until they approached a friendlier looking one.

"Oh Haru! This one looks just like a dolphin!" Makoto awed at a friendlier looking pre-historic dinosaur, "It's so cute!"

"Ichthyosaur?" Haru read out loud the name.

"Yup! Says here that they were a large predator and devoured many different kinds of fish...ah...not so cute anymore isn't it?"

Haru chuckled, "I guess not."

He grabbed Makoto's hand and led him away from the skeleton. He's not sure why the brunette thought the pre-historic dolphin was cute, all ancient animals looked awkward to Haru.

Towards the end of the exhibit was the entrance to another exhibit. The shark tunnel.

Haru turned to Makoto, "Would you--"

"Let's go." Makoto said.

They stepped into the exhibit and gasped at the sight of the tunnel. All around them were reefs and nurse sharks swimming above their heads. They watch in amazement for a bit until Makoto began to laugh.

Haru turned his head to Makoto,"What's so funny?"

"I thought of Rin." Makoto managed to say through his laughter.

Haru bit his lip, to hold back his own laughter. Instead he chose to rest his head on Makoto's shoulder, he looked up, sapphire eyes looking into jade ones.

"I'm glad you're here." Makoto said as he ran a hand through Haru's hair.

Haru smiled as he lifted his heels off the ground and pecked Makoto's lips, "Me too."

"Let's go home."

Haru smiled as he placed his hand in Makoto's again and walked down the rest of the tunnel.   
-  
Makoto kissed the top of his sleeping boyfriend's head before getting out of bed. After taking a quick shower he got dressed and headed to the kitchen. As he made coffee he thought about the date from the day before. The way Haru's sapphire eyes reflected the water, his smile and his hand in Makoto's. He remembered the feel of Haru's hair on his shoulder as they watched the fishes. The laughter from Makoto's jokes at the gift shop.

The brunette sighed, it was magical. He would love to go on another date with Haru in the future. As he grabbed his mug his eyesight fell unto the ground. There was a letter on the ground and Makoto bent down to pick up. Since it wasn't thrown in the trash Makoto figured it was important. He opened the letter to try and remember what this one was about. As he began to read he ignored the part that was addressed to Haru and read who was the sender.

**University of Tokyo**

_Huh?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see these two idiots still have a huge problem 'talking' things through. *face palms* While in canon Makoto and Haruka have pretty good communication between them, I feel like when major things are happening between them, like if what happened in season 2, things kind of fall apart. Now in this au, they've only just met about a year ago so obviously their lack of communication lacks way more compared to the anime and it only gets worse when major things happen. But everything is fine, just like in the anime, these two just need to sit down and have a nice chat about their problems and their bond will grow stronger while working through it.
> 
> And in case you haven't noticed, yes! There are only two chapters left! I am planning on having them both posted before winter. I had written a lot about the background history of our two other couples, Sourin and Reigisa and I was wondering anybody would be interested in reading a pre-quel about their own struggles before Makoto and Haru met? Let me know!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated! :D


	23. Primavera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> March 19, 2017: Makoto finds out what Haru has been keeping from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead! I'm just drowning in application process for school :')
> 
> I'm sorry this is so late, but this chapter had to be re-written because I wasn't feeling it and uh this may be the longest chapter I've ever written because of it. 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

"Hiroko."

The brunette with sky blue eyes looked up from her book to look at Makoto, "Yes?"

Makoto cleared his throat and nervously placed the letter he had discovered in front of her, "Did you...know about this?"

The girl's eyes widened as she identified the letter. "How..."

"I happened to find it on the ground in the kitchen..." Makoto said, "I was wondering what it was and..."

Hiroko nodded, "Yeah..."

There was silence between them for a few moments, neither sure what to say or do. Suddenly Hiroko smiled.

"You know...he told me how he didn't want to leave us." Hiroko confessed, "He begged me not to tell you." She wiped away a tear, "That idiot...he thinks his world should revolve around us."

"He should've told me. I would have been willing to let him go if he truly wanted to." Makoto said, "His happiness is more important than mine."

"That's what I told him but he still chose us."

His heart swelled at the fact Haru had chosen them over Japan. He knew Haru would love to go and study abroad, which was why he was okay with it. Yes, it would hurt to not have Haru around all the time, but he knew Haru loved him and that they would eventually meet again and live together after. Perhaps he was more relieved that Haru actually  _wasn't_  going to.

Makoto laughed, "Hey...have we ever shown you this bakery by the uni?"

Hiroko shook her head, "No."

He offered his hand to her, "Let's surprise him with his favorites shall we?"

Hiroko smiled as she took her roommate's hand, "Okay." He helped her hoist herself off the stool before letting go.

He tapped lightly on his door and called out to Haru, "Haru? Hiroko and I are going shopping. We'll be back in two hours."

"Okay," Haru responded.

Makoto squeezed Hiroko's shoulder, "Let's go."

\----  
"It's been a while since I've last seen you!" Kou said as Makoto paid for Haru's sweets. The redhead looked behind Makoto, "And who is this?"

"She's my roommate Hiroko, she's here helping me get stuff for my boyfriend." Makoto introduced Hiroko who smiled and waved at Kou.

Kou's eyes lit up, "Wait! Don't tell me...your boyfriend is Haru right?"

Makoto chuckled, "Yeah..."

"It's about time," Kou laughed, handing Makoto the bag of sweets, "I was wondering if you two would ever get it together."

Makoto smiled sheepishly, "We're still figuring it out."

"Well bring him here next time alright?"

"Alright, I will," The brunette promised.

Hiroko sat on one of the tables and opened her own bag of sweets; she began eating a macaroon as she said,"You're right, this place is really nice. And the food is good too!"

Makoto nodded, "Haru and I used to go here all the time."

He stole a macaron from Hiroko's bag and took a bite of it.

"Hey!" Hiroko reached out to grab it, "I didn't say you can have one!"

Makoto chuckled as he took another bite and evaded Hiroko's hands, "But it's so good."

"You're the worst!" the girl huffed, "You can't just steal food like that!"

The brunette laughed again. "You're right sorry. Would...this help?" he asked as he held out a box of macarons and pushed it to Hiroko.

Her blue eyes widened as she held the box. She smiled slightly before turning her head away, similar to the way an embarrassed Haru would, except she wasn't blushing. "You're such an altruist."

Makoto rested his chin on his hand and smirked, "We're using big words now aren't we?"

Hiroko scoffed as she took another bite of her macaroon but thanked Makoto anyways.

Just then the bell chimed and two girls entered the room. Their backs were facing Makoto so he only saw the backs of their head. One was a blonde and the other was a brunette with short hair. They looked familiar. Why did they look so familiar?

The blonde girl turned to say something to the brunette, and he caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Makoto's eyes widened. It couldn't be...

Hiroko's caught Makoto staring and turned around to see who he was looking at. She turned around her sky blue eyes just as wide.

"Erica and Sophia?" she mouthed.

Makoto nodded.

"What the fuck..." she mumbled as she studied the two from the corner of her eye, "Why are they here?"

"Haru had shown this place to Erica months ago. She's been bringing people here ever since." Makoto explained.

"But wait..." Hiroko studied the two girls who were admiring the showcase of cupcakes, "Isn't it strange that they're together here?"

"You're right...they didn't know each other until the party..." Makoto agreed.

The two roommates watched Erica place a hand on Sophia's shoulder and smile reassuringly. Sophia smiled back before turning back to look at the cupcakes. Erica said something and Sophia lightly punched the blonde's shoulder in response. They looked like long time best friends, perhaps lovers if one squinted their eyes. Like a light bulb was just lit, Makoto came to a realization.

"Hiroko, do you think when Donna and Sophia argued they were talking about Erica?" Makoto asked.

The girl studied her sister and their neighbor before nodding, "I would think so. They seem to be close and Donna might've seen them do something that was misinterpreted. And Sophia hasn't returned since Donna threw her out. Perhaps Sophia has been staying with my sister this whole time."

"Perhaps..." Makoto said as he noticed Sophia was coming over to their table. She had yet to spot them, but it was only a matter of time.

Sophia paused, surprised to see her neighbors before smiling and approaching the table.

"Hey, guys..." Sophia greeted, "How's it going?"

"Good." the two said at the same time.

Sophia's smile suddenly collapsed, "And Donna?"

Makoto shook his head while Hiroko sighed wearily.

"She's...not doing well..."

Sophia nodded,"Can you tell her I miss her?"

Erica placed a hand on Sophia's shoulder. Hiroko's sky blue eyes studied her sister trying to comfort their neighbor. Hiroko frowned.

"I still don't understand why the two of you separated," Hiroko asked.

"That's right!" Sophia said, "You all left in shock after that."

Hiroko shot a glance at Makoto who blushed. Makoto laughed guilty.

"I meant to explain to you that that's all you ever hear when you're Soulless. People believe that the only true love that exists is between soulmates."

Makoto nodded in agreement. He had certainly heard that before.

"But that's not true! We're people for heaven's sakes! Our problem isn't that we can't love! Our problem is that we need to find true love." Sophia wiped away a tear, "And Donna...she's had it rough. Her previous relationships were disastrous."

"You don't have to go into detail," Erica said as she patted Sophia's back.

Hiroko and Makoto nodded in agreement.

"I know." Sophia replied through her sobs, "But she's been through so much...One guy abused her. Three cheated on her. Two others had found their actual soulmates. And others just didn't work out."

Makoto has no idea that Donna had been through so much, that she had been whisked away into the dark side of this curse with no choice but to deal with it. To believe that Donna still believed in true love was astonishing.

"She...she has a lot of trust issues okay? It took me a year to convince her that we should live together." Sophia took a deep breath in order to compose herself. "And I really love her."

"What...exactly happened?" Hiroko asked.

"Erica and I became great friends since the party and we started hanging out a lot. Donna didn't know that I was hanging out with her and saw us together one time..."

"We were hugging and Donna took it the wrong way..." Erica added.

Hiroko glared at her sister. "Why did you hug her?"

The blonde blushed, "It's nothing like that I swear! I was just saying goodbye!"

Sophia nodded, "Yeah, she was dropping me off at my apartment when Donna opened the door and saw us."

Hiroko sighed, "Since Donna kicked you out, where have you been staying?"

"With Erica of course."

"You really shouldn't have done that. Now Donna thinks you really left her." Hiroko scolded.

Sophia frowned, "Then what should I do?"

"Go back to her," Makoto suggested.

Sophia's eyes widened,"I-I can't! She's not ready to see me!"

"Is she not ready to see you, or are you not ready to face her?" Erica asked.

"I'm sure Donna would love to see you again as much as you would Sophia," Makoto added.

"Or do you not want to see her?" Hiroko intervened.

Sophia's eyes began to water, "I do! I do! I just think that it's too early--

"Sophia, you've been living with my sister for a month," Hiroko interrupted, "I think it's been more than enough time for you two to calm down."

"But--"

"Just go and talk to her," Makoto advised.

"C'mon," the blonde grabbed Sophia's wrist and pulled her away from the group, "I'll go with you."

"Uh! But wait!" Sophia protested as she was dragged out of the bakery. The girl turned around to the roommates and mouthed 'Thank you' before disappearing from the place.

"I feel bad for Erica," Hiroko admitted when they left.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

"She loves Sophia." The brunette said, with a solemn expression.

"But didn't your sister say--

"She was lying so she wouldn't hurt Sophia. Believe me, I know my sister, she loves Sophia."

"I see," Makoto said with a similar expression to Hiroko's. He understood Erica's feelings because they were similar to how he felt towards Haru when they first met.

"She knew from the start that Sophia's heart belonged to Donna...but she fell for her anyway."

"This fight they had would've been Erica's only chance to have her."

"No, not even this fight would have been her chance. Sophia  _chose_  Donna."

For a second Makoto thought about Haru's words from weeks ago, how even if Haru found his soulmate he would still love Makoto because he chose him. Did that same philosophy apply here?

"And Erica chose Sophia..." Makoto said.

"And she's happy with her decision. I mean she looks more relaxed with Sophia, I have never her seen like that, not even when we were kids. And if she's happy then we should be happy right?"

But Erica deserved a better ending. It's what he wanted to say. But Makoto knew that he couldn't because of the sadness of the reality would be too much to handle. So he settled for a simple nod, something very uncharacteristic for him, but the best thing to do in this situation.

They were silent for a few moments before Hiroko began to gather her stuff, "C'mon Makoto, Sophia, and Donna are going to make up and we can't  _miss_ that."

\----

Sophia and Erica stood in front of the apartment door. Sophia was shaking, nervous to approach Donna. Erica smiled encouragingly and gave her a thumbs up. Sophia smiled and took a deep breath. Nervously, she lifted her hand and knocked on the door.

Haru was snooping outside the apartment, hair tousled and a smear of blue paint on his cheek. Judging by his apron, he was probably working on a painting. Those sapphire eyes met Makoto's jade ones for a second before smiling and turning their attention to the neighbors.

Everybody waited with bated breath for Donna to open the door.

Sophia sighed after Donna had not opened the door, "She doesn't want me back..."

"No! That's not it! It's--

The door to the apartment creaked open showing a disheveled Donna with baggy eyes. Her eyes widened upon the sight of Sophia.

"Sophia?" she opened the door even wider and frowned at the sight of Erica, "What is  _she_  doing here?"

"Donna, allow me to explain everything to you."

Donna looked at Sophia, "I don't want to."

"It's not what it looks like."

The black-haired girl's eyes darkened, "I don't believe you."

Donna goes to close the door but the brunette stopped her.

"I need you to believe me," Sophia said as they fought the door with Donna.

"Well I how can I? Everybody leaves me."

Sophia's eyes began to water, "Donna I'm so sorry..."

"And you left me too. So what makes you any different from the others? You don't lo--

Sophia released the door and wrapped her arms around the love of her life. Donna froze, eyes widening as Sophia sobbed. Her hand slowly came up to Sophia's back.

"Don't you dare say I don't love you! After so many years you still think you don't deserve true love? How dare you! You deserve all the love in the world! And I need you!"

Donna's eyes began to water up as she remained silent.

"And I'm sorry for going with what you said. I thought that it was best for the both of us. I love you, Donna. You're my first and only love. Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Donna sniffled, "I really take you for granted don't I?"

"You do!" Sophia wailed.

"But what about--

"I only have eyes for you." Sophia broke away from Donna and held Donna's face, "Do I need to establish that?"

Donna smiled her tears flowing down her face, "No."

The two girls kissed. Both cried as they held each other.

\----

Entering back into the apartment, Makoto could see that Haru was indeed working on a new project. There was an easel with a canvas set up in the middle of the room, and a color palette with a paintbrush rested on the coffee table by it. There was 80s rock music playing, perhaps what Haru needed to listen to for his inspiration. To come and think about it, Haru almost always listened to a certain genre of music while painting specific things.

"Hey babe," Makoto teased as he hugged Haru from behind, "Guess what I got you!"

He opened the bag and showed Haru the contents inside. His boyfriend snorted.

"You didn't need to bring me this stuff," Haru said with flushed cheeks.

"But I wanted too!"

"Ahem!" Hiroko interrupted, " _We_  wanted to!"

"Aha, right sorry." Makoto chuckled before turning his attention back to Haru, "We wanted to show you how much we love you."

The black-haired boy clicked his tongue before his sapphire eyes met Makoto's jade ones, "You spoil me too much."

"Do I?" Makoto cooed as he bent down to en-capture Haru's lips. They kissed for a few moments, savoring the feel of each other before separating.

Haru untangled himself from Makoto's grasp and took the bag and placed it on the counter. He took out a box of chocolate truffles and popped one into his mouth.

"Taste good?" Makoto asked.

Haru nodded as he took his brush and palette. The black-haired man went back to working as Makoto watched him. The painting was incomplete, but there had been enough work done to know that it was an orchard of cherry blossoms.

"Wow Haru," Makoto complimented, "Is this for school?"

Haru nodded as he continued painting. Makoto chuckled as he went into the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Tea."

"Alright," Makoto responded as he set up the drinks. After finishing, he went back to the living room and settled himself on the couch, placing Haru's tea on the coffee table and keeping his coffee in his hands.

"Do you miss Japan?" Makoto asked.

Haru stopped working and turned around to face Makoto. He looked almost guilty as if Haru was hiding something. Well, he was hiding something, but there wasn't a need to freak out. Haru set down his brush and Makoto took that free hand and kissed it.

"I know Haru."

Haru's eyes widened, "You...what?"

"I saw the letter from the university."

Haru's shoulders tensed, "Oh... uh..."

"Haru why didn't you tell me?" Makoto asked.

"I'm not leaving you," Haru averted his eyes away from the brunette.

"I know Haru, and I appreciate that but...why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to freak out."

Makoto bit his lip, "Why would you think that? Haru, you should've told me and we could've talked about it."

"There's nothing to talk about." Haru responded sternly, "The answer would've been obvious."

"Is it?" Makoto asked, "Because Hiroko and I both agree that what you want is more important than what we want."

Haru paused his mouth slightly agape but only managed to muster a "What?"

"Haru, we love you, and if you want to go to Japan and study, we'd be okay with it."

Haru's eyes sparkled before he hugged Makoto. Makoto chuckled as he ran a hand through his boyfriend's silky hair.

"We're always here to support you okay?" Makoto said.

"Thank you..." Haru said, "and I'll do the same."

He chuckled as he held the black-haired man in his arms. Makoto continued to stroke his hand through Haru's hair, patiently waiting for Haru to break away.

"But I'm not going to the university." Haru concluded, "My home is where you are."

The brunette smiled as he kissed Haru's lips briefly. "I know Haru."

But for some reason, he didn't feel satisfied with Haru's answer.  
\-----  
After everything, Haru continued to look unhappy with his decision. It wasn't obvious at first but over time one would notice the way Haru would stop smiling when somebody mentioned his home country. Haru had begun to be seen less and less at the college and hung out more and more at home. He still gave Makoto a kiss whenever they were alone together but sometimes it felt like his heart wasn't there. As if he was pretending everything was alright. Makoto wanted to say something, but every time he did Haru would snap at him. There was nothing the brunette could do despite knowing Haru's conflict.

He wanted to understand why Haru was doing such a thing. If Haru truly wasn't happy with his decision, why couldn't he just admit it?

The warmth that came from the early April air enveloped Makoto as he strode down the streets of New York hand in hand with Haru. The afternoon sky was fiery red, and the skyscrapers created overbearing shadows across the city.

Makoto was hoping that strolling down the streets of the city, eating dinner at a nice restaurant and then spending the night at a fancy hotel would cheer Haru up. They've been walking around for half an hour, talking about whatever and Haru had yet to smile. They were only two streets away from the restaurant Makoto had made reservations. It was still only the beginning of the night. Hopefully, sometime soon Haru would lighten up a bit.

A chilly breeze suddenly roared and Haru snuggled closer to the taller man. Makoto wrapped an arm around his boyfriend and guided him to the doors of the restaurant.

The restaurant was a modern one with lights streaming down from the ceiling and illuminating the mostly dark place. A huge tiled wall adorned with the restaurant's logo with water trickling down welcomed them. In front of the wall was a hostess with a tablet in her hand.

"Hello," she said as the brunette approached her, "Have you already made a reservation?"

"Yes."

"Okay," the hostess smiled as she began scrolling down the list of names displayed on her tablet, "What's your name?"

"Makoto."

"Makoto, yup! Here you are! Right, this way!" The hostess chirped as she led the couple into the back of the restaurant.

The hostess smiled as she turned on the tablets on the table and indicated the couple to take a seat.

"Your server's name will be Shaleen," the hostess before turning to Makoto with a wink, "Have a lovely evening you two."

"Thank you," Makoto smiled as he began to scroll through the menu on the tablet.

"Thanks," Haru silently said.

"Haru check out the seafood section," Makoto suggested with a wink.

Haru nodded as he turned back to the tablet and began to scroll through it. His eyes widened as he looked back up at the brunette. Haru smiled for the first time that night and took hold of Makoto's hand.

"Mackerel," Haru said, "You knew my favorite meal would be in this fancy restaurant did you?"

"Of course," Makoto responded taking Haru's hand and kissing it briefly, "Nothing less than the best for my Haruka."

The black-haired man blushed, "You spoil me Makoto."

Makoto chuckled, "I know, but I can't help myself when I need to show the world I'm dating the most beautiful man out there."

Haru giggled as he lightly slapped his lover's hand, "Stop that!"

"Never," Makoto grinned teasingly. It made his heart swell with joy that Haru was already looking happier.

"Hello," a waitress, a petite black-haired girl with green eyes approached them with a dazzling smile, "My name is Shaleen and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get for you lovely men." She winked at the two men as if she knew something they didn't.

"Haru?" Makoto said, "You pick."

Haru nodded, "Red wine. For the both of us."

"Alright," the waitress sighed, "Are you ready to order or--?"

"Yes, we are," Makoto smiled at the girl before ordering for himself and Haru.

The rest of dinner went mostly uneventful. The two lovers flirted unashamedly of who was watching. The two ate peacefully, letting the other try out their meals and talked about everything. Everything  _but_  what Makoto really wanted to discuss with Haru.

"You know," Makoto rested his chin on his hand and smiled teasingly, "The lighting here really compliments your eyes."

Haru blushed and averted his eyes as he took a sip of his wine, "My eyes aren't that pretty Makoto."

Makoto chuckled as he took Haru's hand and intertwined them, "Are you joking? They're the prettiest."

"Besides," Haru said as his blush deepened, "I think your eyes are prettier."

Now it was Makoto's turn to get flustered. He found himself speechless as his face grew redder and redder. Oh, how does this man manage to _still_  make his heart go wild?

"You two are absolutely the cutest soulmates I've ever seen," the waitress commented as she handed them the check.

The two froze at that and blushed excessively. Makoto waved his hands as he explained, "Ah we're not, we're not--"

His mind flashed back to that time when Haru had a streak of silver hair. Rei had told them that it was a sign that one had met their soulmates and it was one that quickly faded. Even though the strand's no longer there, Makoto still saw it every time he focused his eyes on the place where it used to be. Maybe not.

Makoto took Haru's hand in his and intertwined them as he said, "Thank you."

The waitress winked, "Have a nice evening boys."

After paying, the two left hand in hand, Haru looking a lot more relaxed as they continued to walk down the streets of New York. Haru looked up at Makoto.

"We're not going home yet?" Haru asked.

"Nope," Makoto winked as he guided Haru down the streets, "I got another place just for you."

The restaurant wasn't too far away from the hotel they'd be staying the night in. Makoto smiled as he finally reached the fancy doors and pulled Haru inside with him.

Upon sight of the lobby, Haru's eyes widened, "Whoa."

Makoto smiled. Whoa indeed. The ceiling of the lobby stretched up to several stories high. The beams that stretched looked wooden. At the entrance, there was a big koi pond where visitors walk over from a bridge that looked like it was made of stone. The lobby had typical Japanese ornaments all over. Instead of chairs, there were cushions where people sat. The name of the hotel was displayed proudly before them in a language that the two have grown up with.

"Hotel of Isle?" Haru tutted.

"I thought since you miss home so much," Makoto smiled leading them over the bridge, "We could stay for the night in someplace like it. I know it's some white-washed stereotypical resort, but it's the best I can do in New York."

Haru smiled, his eyes gleaming as he shook his head, "Idiot."  _This is great_.

The two approached the desk and checked into their hotel room.

"Would you like somebody to lead you to your room?" the lady asked.

"That's fine," Makoto smiled as he took Haru's hand, "We'll manage by ourselves, right?" the brunette squeezed the hand he's holding.

Their room was on the fifth floor of the place and the two took the elevator up. The two watched through the glass panels of the elevator how much smaller all the people in the lobby got the higher up they went. Once they got to their floor, the two men strode down the hallway to their hotel room. Makoto slid the key-card into its slot and promptly opened it, or more like _slid_ , the door.

Makoto glanced at Haru to see his reaction. And it wasn't in the least bit disappointed. The flabbergasted man stepped into the room and began to absent-mindedly run his hands over everything. Even the hotel rooms were in the traditional style of the Japanese. All the doors slid open and had beautiful wooden panels. There were no chairs, only a kotatsu, and cushions surrounding it. On the walls were traditional Japanese paintings or black and white photos of places in Japan. With a giddy smile on his face, Makoto trailed after the amazed Haru into the hotel room.

Haru walked into the bedroom and saw the beautiful swan that was folded on the bed. He chuckled as he picked up the swan and looked at Makoto, amusement was written all over his face.

"You sure got the white-washed part right," Haru chuckled, "They didn't even bother to check if swans even _live_  in Japan."

Makoto wrapped his arms around Haru and swayed him, causing his boyfriend to drop the swan onto the floor. "But it's not so bad, right?"

Haru nodded, "Right."

"Ah, but that's not all." Makoto added as he headed towards the closet, "I made a special order just for the two of us."

Haru's eyes widened, an indication that it's piqued his interest. The brunette smiled as he opened the doors, revealing two yukatas hanging. They were in two different sizes, making it obvious that one was meant for Makoto and the other was Haru's. Makoto's was a dark green with beige stripes. Haru's was navy blue with gray stripes. Haru approached the closet and felt the fabric of his yukata and turned to Makoto.

"This...is..."

Makoto smiled, "We have a private onsen in the bathroom. Want to change and check it out?"

Haru turned to Makoto, his eyes sparkling as he nodded, "Of course."

After changing into their yukatas, the two slid open the door that led to the bathroom and headed towards their private onsen. Makoto fiddled with the controls until it turned on and the two smiled at each other.

Haru smiled as he began to unbutton his shirt, the sleeves hanging off his shoulders and revealing his collarbones. Makoto's heart sped at the sight of those collarbones and found himself struggling to take off his own clothes. It wasn't helping that Haru was staring at him, admiring his muscles. Makoto barely slipped it off his torso when Haru's hand suddenly cups Makoto's cheek and turned his head to look down at Haru. The black-haired boy stood in front of Makoto, their bare chests merely inches apart. His sapphire eyes are glowing as they look into jade ones.

"Ha--" Before Makoto could ask, Haru's lips pressed against his. Makoto immediately reciprocated, snaking an arm around Haru's waist and pulling him closer, their bodies flushing as they sucked, and teethed and--

They pull apart, both catching their breath. Their foreheads touch as Makoto pecked his lover once more.

"Haru, we should get into it now, the tub looks warmed up."

Haru nodded as he stepped into the water, Makoto following in pursuit. The two lean against the edge and exhale. Immediately, the hot water began to soothe Makoto's aching body. With everything that's been going on, he's  _really_  needed this. Haru too. From the corner of his eye, he can Haru with his eyes closed, looking the most relaxed in a long time. He's probably dozing off.

"Hey," Makoto teasingly nudged his bare knee against Haru's, "Don't fall asleep on me."

"I'm trying not to," Haru yawned, giving Makoto an annoyed glare.

Makoto chuckled in response, watching as Haru grabbed the sides of the tub. A bit of artificial dirt stuck to his palms as he absentmindedly looked at them. His expression changed to a more solemn one.

"I miss it too," Makoto admitted.

Haru looked up, confusion written on his face, "What?"

"Japan," Makoto answered, "I miss Japan as well."

Haru didn't respond, instead, he lowered his he as if he were a child being punished.

"There's nothing wrong with missing home," Makoto consoled, "It's perfectly normal."

"I know that," Haru responded quietly.

"Which is why, if you're still thinking about going--

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Haru squirmed in his position.

"Haru--

" _I said_ , I don't want to talk about this right now," Haru interrupted.

" _Haru_ , if you want to go and study--"

"Makoto, this isn't the time to discuss this."

"Then when should we discuss this?" Makoto snapped, "Because it's been  _weeks_ , Haru and I know you too well. You're suffering from all the things you're bottling up and hiding from me."

Haru leaned against the side, annoyed and angry as he responded, "Well, there isn't anything to talk about. I've already made my decision."

"No, we did not. You just ended the conversation and avoided it," Makoto countered.

An annoyed sigh escaped Haru's throat as he responded, "Well, this isn't a good time."

"Then  _when_?" Makoto repeated, "We have to discuss this."

" _No_ , we don't"

" _Yes_ , we do."

Haru huffed, 'Well then what do you want to talk to about? Because I already made my decision."

"But you never thought about  _me,_ " Makoto argued.

"That's not true. I only thought of you," any traces of peace was completely gone. Haru looked like he was about to cry.

"No," Makoto shook his head, he too felt like crying, "You thought about what you  _think_ I want, Not what I actually  _want_." He took Haru's hand in his and he fought back a tear with all his will as he said, "You didn't even ask me."

Haru's eyes glistened as he stroked a thumb across Makoto's cheek, "I'm sorry."

The brunette caught Haru's hand and rested it on his cheek, "I know you are, but this is why we need to talk, okay?"

There's a pause. The sapphire pools in Haru's eyes swirl like a mirage as he registered Makoto's words. Then he gave a curt nod, "Okay."

A smile began to form on Makoto's face as he brought one of Haru's hands to his lips, giving them a chaste kiss. "Great, now that we're on the same page, let's talk about that letter." Haru nodded, urging Makoto to continue. "You want to go right?" Haru froze, for a second before nodding. He looked guilty, so to comfort him, Makoto kissed the top of Haru's head, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm happy you're finally admitting what you want to do."

"But that's what I want," Haru complained, "What do you want me to do?"

Makoto chuckled, "Whatever you want. I love you Haru. Whatever you decide, I'll be there to support you."

"But, if I go, what would happen to this?" Haru indicated their intertwined hands, "What are we going to do?"

"There are options," Makoto answered, "We can figure something out." Haru bit his lip and nodded. "I'm here for you, whatever you want, what you really want, I'll support you."

Haru's eyes glistened as he leaned into Makoto's chest, hugging him loosely. Makoto chuckled as he ran a hand through his lover's hair. Haru buried his face into Makoto's bare chest as he mumbled, "Thank you."

Makoto noticed that tips of  Haru's ears are red and Makoto chuckled. What has he ever done to deserve Haru? He ran another hand through Haru's hair as Haru lifted his head to peck Makoto's lips. The two savor the taste of each other as Haru sat up, to run his hands through Makoto's hair. Makoto's hands drifted down to Haru's waist. Makoto was ready to deepen the kiss when Haru suddenly pulled away.

"Is there something wrong?" Makoto asked.

Haru ignored Makoto's comment, his focus on the top of Makoto's head. He looked shocked as if he was afraid to touch it.

"I'll be right back," Haru said as he left the warm water and grabbed his phone, which was left on top of the counter before re-entering.

"What's wrong?"

"Remember Paris?" Haru asked.

Makoto nodded. How could he forget? It was the emotional trip that finally got them together. The brunette watched as Haru showed Makoto a picture of Haru's hair. It was a picture of Haru, one that Makoto took the day after Christmas with Haru looking out into the city of Paris off of Ran's terrace. He's in a white sweater, a cup of coffee in his hand. The morning light was reflecting on top of Haru's head the gray streak he used to have glimmering in the photo.

"Yes?"

"You didn't have it at the time," Haru explained as he lifted his phone higher and took what Makoto presumed was a picture of the top of his head, "But right now, it might just because your hair is so light already but, it looks like--"

He handed Makoto his phone and the brunette studied the picture. There it was, at the top of his head, slightly hidden behind other strands of hair is a tiny shriveled up white hair. Makoto looked up at Haru, with wide eyes. Did this mean...?

"If it is what I think it is," Haru continued, "Then that means we  _are_  soulmates."

Makoto's face lit up as he hugged Haru, "Oh Haru!"

Haru blushed profusely, "Hey! It might not even mean anything!"

"I don't care," Makoto responded, "I just want to hold you."

An arm wrapped Makoto's side as Haru nuzzled against Makoto's shoulders, "Okay."

They stayed in there until the water got cold.  
\--------  
Haru had grown silent again after that. As they got ready for bed, Haru slipped on his robe and simply flossed his teeth before taking his side of the bed. When Makoto stepped out of the bathroom, he found his lover on his side, motionless. Makoto crawled onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Haru. In response, the black-haired man stiffened. The brunette frowned.

"You're still thinking about it?" he asked.

"How can I not?" Haru responded, "There's a lot to think about."

Makoto hummed as he rolled away from Haru. He pressed his back against the soft sheets of the bed. "You shouldn't stress yourself over this."

Haru turned his head so that he was facing Makoto. "I can't bring myself to not stress over this. There's so much to think about. And now, there's the fact that we might be soulmates."

"So?"

"So?" Haru paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as if he's afraid to say it, "We don't have much time left."

"We never know how much time we're going to have," Makoto shifted his head so that their eyes could meet, "Which is why it's important to live life to the fullest while you can. I learned that from  _you_ , Haru. If going to Japan, makes you happy, go. Stop debating over it. We can make this work somehow."

"But I--"

"Go, I'll be alright," Makoto cupped Haru's cheek. In the dim lighting of the room, Haru's eyes looked like the ocean, "No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

"I know," Haru responded quietly. The oldest man on earth had never looked so vulnerable.

"Why are you having an issue with this?" Makoto asked.

"I... don't know."

"Please, let me in. It'll only help you," Makoto begged, stroking Haru's cheek with his thumb.

Haru slapped Makoto's hand away as he mumbled, "I'm going to sleep over this. We'll discuss this another time." Haru said bitterly as  he rolled back to his original position, facing away from Makoto, "Goodnight."

Makoto sighed in frustration, why can't Haru just make a decision?

Knowing that Haru was too moody to continue talking, Makoto decided that they've discussed the issue enough for their sanity. Makoto leaned over his already half-asleep lover and turned off the lights.

"Goodnight Haru," Makoto said defeatedly, his heart sinking as he pulled the blanket over his head.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, followed by a river that lured him into a deep dreamless slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a very frustrating chapter for me and it took me months to write it. I don't know, I felt like something was off about the chapter and so I added more. I'm satisfied now with this chapter, I think it's plot-heavy and ends on a note, that is good enough for the ending that's already been written compared to the original one. There's one more chapter left can you believe it? Hopefully, it will be released before December. You're all allowed to yell at me if I don't :') I really appreciate all the support this fic has gotten and I hope you are excited for the end. 
> 
> Unedited, so sorry for all the mistakes.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated! <3


	24. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May 20th, 2017: Haru goes back to Japan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, are y'all ready? Too bad! Happy Holidays!  
>  Unedited like always, so sorry for all the mistakes.   
> Enjoy! :D

In Haru's Graphic Design classroom, there's a huge window panel that gave the students a perfect view of the campus around them. Haru found himself distracted, looking out the window and studying the vibrant green of the trees. They remind him of Makoto's eyes, and all he can think about is lunch, where he will finally be able to see his boyfriend again. Haru sighed heavily as he continued working on his project. It's the painting of the cherry blossom orchard he did nearly a month ago but edited so that the style was more computer-generated. He already hated Graphic Design but this particular project was making him homesick.

Haru turned back to the window and looked outside. In the distance, a tree with pink blossoms just like a cherry blossom was blooming. If one were to squint hard enough they could see the photographers taking pictures of the beautiful tree. It reminded Haru of Japan, just like this project did.

Ever since Makoto took him to that Japanese resort, all that Haru could think of was the hard decision he had to make. It's ridiculous, he knew that he shouldn't be debating over it. Makoto will support in whatever decision Haru makes, as long as Haru's happy.

_ Happiness _ . It's something that sounded foreign inside of Haru's head. After he left Aki in France, a void where happiness belonged had ripped opened. It wasn't until he met Makoto, did he began to experience happiness again. It was almost like a miracle. And over the months, he's come to realize he's fallen in love with Makoto. There's something about that brunette that makes Haru's heart goes wild. Perhaps it's that smile or the optimistic personality he's somehow managed to maintain after so many years. Maybe it's his charisma and how he makes everybody turn heads when he enters the room. Haru shook his head, it doesn't matter, Makoto is Makoto, and everything about him is beautiful.

Which is why he's struggling. He doesn't know what to do. He wants to go back, but he can't just leave Makoto. It wouldn't be fair.

Haru groaned as he rested his face in his hands. He frustratingly huffed as he lifted his face from his hands and exhaled. He doesn't want to repeat what he did to Aki, to anybody,  _ especially _ Makoto. Why was this so difficult? There had to be a solution to this.

Haru's professor walked behind Haru and noticed his absent-mindedness. "What are you doing Mr. Nanase?"

"Nothing," Haru sighed as he turned back to work.

"Please focus on your task Haruka," the professor reprimanded, "This assignment is due next week."

Haru sighed exasperatedly as he continued working on his project. The professor walked away to bother somebody else.  _ What a bore _ .

\----

As soon as he exited his lecture hall, hands covered his eyes, "Guess who?"

Haru smiled as he turned around, sapphire eyes meeting jade. Makoto wrapped an arm around Haru's waist and pulled him closer. Haru didn't protest at all, instead, he allowed his lover to swoop in for a kiss. He met Makoto's lips just as eagerly.

To hold him, feel his lips against his own, was all Haru wanted in that moment. He reveled in the feel of the brunette's soft lips and the touch of his tan skin underneath Haru's fingertips. Haru's hands tugged at Makoto's brown strands before roughly pulling apart.

"Lunch?" Haru asked.

"Lunch," Makoto replied, taking Haru's hand in his before whisking him away.

They settle for having lunch at the Five Guys on campus. Haru wasn't really hungry so he just bought himself a strawberry milkshake, helped himself to the peanuts and helped Makoto finish the fries.

Lunch was normal. The two talked about their day so far. Haru complained about his project which only earned a chuckle from Makoto. Makoto talked about his current analysis paper. After eating, they had some time so they decide to walk around campus until they had to go to class.

It was finally warm enough that Haru didn't feel like his cheeks stung whenever he was outside. The trees were in full bloom, the little buds of green at the ends of their stem were now fully grown leaves. Flowers were budding, their vibrant colors peaking out.

They reached a clearing with a miniature pond. Geese splashed around in the water happily. There's an empty bench across from it that the two boys decided was good enough to take a short break on. As they sat down, Haru rested his head on Makoto's lap.

"Tired?" Makoto chuckled as he ran a hand through his black hair.

"Not really," Haru mumbled as he closed his eyes.

Makoto didn't answer. Instead he played with Haru's hair, letting Haru nap. The sounds of the geese playing around at the pond was the only noise Haru could hear. The silence coming from Makoto was aggravating. Where was the insistence from that night? Why wasn't he saying another thing about it? Sometimes Haru's grateful for the space Makoto gives, but other times it's really frustrating, especially when Makoto was the one who always initiated the discussion. Haru hated starting discussions. He always struggled with the right things to say, and starting conversations especially one as serious as this was difficult. In frustration Haru sat up and turned his head away from Makoto. He sighed heavily, letting all his annoyance out. 

"I know what you're thinking about," Makoto admitted. His voice sounded drained.

"Then why are you avoiding it?" Haru snarled as he rested his head in his hands.

"I'm not," Makoto replied, resting a hand on Haru's shoulder "I just don't think this is a good time."

"It's  _ never _ a good time," Haru replied, "I'm a fucking mess, remember?" When Makoto didn't reply, Haru huffed as he turned to Makoto, "Well?"

Makoto chewed the inside of his cheek, debating on what he should say. Makoto's just as much as an open book to Haru as he is to the brunette. He can see everything that popped into Makoto's head. Finally, Makoto sighed, his green eyes dulling a bit as he admitted, "I just want you to be happy."

Haru looked away, "I know."

Makoto took Haru's free hand, "That's why I'm trying to help."

Haru turned to Makoto, blue eyes sparkling before quickly turning away. His cheeks were burning, "I know that."

" _ So let me _ ," Makoto pleaded.

Haru sighed exasperatedly, standing up. This was going  _ nowhere _ , "We should get going."

"Haru--

"Class is starting soon."

Makoto resigned as he stood up, "Right. It's not the right time."

Their classes were on opposite ends of campus so Makoto began heading towards his. Haru watched his retreating figure. He could see the hint of the silver strand he discovered in Makoto's hair glittering in the sunlight. 

That's the other thing. If they're soulmates, then they should spend as much time as possible together. If it's true, then it's simple. Haru should stay. But it's not, because they don't know, they've been alive for so long that they can't even tell. Haru himself had believed for decades now that his soulmate died before they even had the chance to meet. 

Sensing Haru staring at him, Makoto turned around, "Haru?" He lifted his eyebrows in concern.

"It's nothing," Haru replied solemnly, "Don't be late for class Makoto."

Makoto showed a strained smile before heading to class. He's always been a good student, showing up to class on time and doing his homework long before it's due. All what Haru could think about while watching the back of his head was how everything was falling apart in his head. It should be easy to turn to Makoto and tell him, everything, hell, he already  _ knew  _ he just needed to voice them. So why can't he voice them? Why was he so afraid? He was able to tell Makoto about his other problems before, so why can't he just voice this one thing? It takes him a moment to realize that,  _ no _ , he never really voiced anything, he was forced to because he didn't in the first place and  _ god _ this is why they have had so many problems in the past. From Makoto's Soulless trouble to the events in Paris their lack of communication always created trouble for the two of them. Haru needed to fix it before it was too late. "Makoto!" 

The brunette turned around, surprised that Haru had something else to say,"Yes, Haru?"

Haru nervously uttered, "I have something to say."

A wave of relief washed over Makoto's face as he sighed, a genuine smile forming on his face, "I'm listening."

Haru took a deep breath, rehearsing in his head the words he wanted to say. "I'm afraid of losing you." Makoto's eyes widened at Haru's words. "I know, it's ridiculous, but, if I leave it's going to be months before we see each other again." Skype and texting will not be enough to fill the void Haru will feel without Makoto. Makoto's his life now. There are other risks too. What if Makoto found somebody else while he's away? What if something happened and their communication got abruptly cut off? He  _ really _ wanted to go but he won't if it means leaving his entire life behind. "So if I went to Japan, what will happen to us?"

Makoto smiled, "Don't worry, I have the same fears as you. Who knows what can happen in the time we're apart? And when I do come and visit, it'll feel more like we're strangers than lovers. But, this is an excellent opportunity for you. Take it. You might not get another chance."

"I know that," Haru replied, "But I don't want to make a choice I'm gonna regret." He thought about his past and his loved ones who he abandoned for his own selfish reasons. He had done it enough times, and this time, he couldn't abandon Makoto. The brunette does not deserve that sort of treatment. Haru's grateful for Makoto, he thought about that all the time, and wondered constantly what he's done to have such a wonderful man love him back. He took his lover's hand and intertwined their fingers. They feel nice and warm in his hand. He doesn't want to miss this. He wanted this hand in his for as long as he lived. He might've finally found  _ the one _ and he doesn't want to waste another second without him. He felt a tear coming down his cheek, "You have no idea how hard this is for me."

"With every choice we make, there is a price," Makoto admitted as he pushed back a strand of Haru's black hair behind his ear, "so make the choice you'll regret the least." He wiped away Haru's teary eyes, green eyes lovingly looking into them, "It's hard, I know," he sounded vulnerable, like he could break any moment, "I'm here for you, Haru. Whatever decision you make, I will support it wholeheartedly."

Haru sniffled as he chuckled, "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Exist," Makoto answered as he pulled Haru into a hug.

Haru buried himself into Makoto's chest as he reciprocated. _ Finally _ , they were getting somewhere.

"Are you really okay with me leaving?" Haru asked.

"If it's what you want," Makoto said.

Haru shook his head, "I want to stay in your arms forever."

"I want that too," his lover admitted.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Haru's head. He pulled away from Makoto's embrace and looked into his eyes, "What if we can stay together?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me to Japan," Haru suggested.

Makoto's eyes widened for a second and Haru held his breath as his boyfriend processed the information. He knew Makoto said that he supported him, but it was before Haru had  _ actually _ made up his mind. There was no stopping Makoto from objection, and he would listen to whatever Makoto wanted to say.

Suddenly the brunette smiled, a sad one but nonetheless a genuine one that had stolen Haru's heart from the day their eyes met for the first time. He cupped Haru's face before diving in for a kiss, one eagerly reciprocated by Haru.

"I thought you'd never ask."

-

Rin received a call from Makoto during his morning jog. It was odd for the brunette to call in the morning, so the red-head answered immediately.

"Yo."

"Hello Rin," Makoto greeted, "I just wanted to tell you um..."

"Tell me what?"

"Well, we'll be seeing each other a lot more often."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Haru and I are moving to Japan."

The red-head stopped his tracks for a moment and opened his mouth. Did he hear that correctly?

"Rin?" Makoto asked.

"I'm here, sorry what was that again?"

"Haru and I are transferring next year and we'll be studying in Japan. Isn't that great?"

Rin smiled, "Yes of course." He wiped away a tear, "Sousuke and I will be happy to see you guys again..."

"And a lot more often."

"Yeah." Rin laughed, "That too."

"Our house is in Tokyo. Who knows? It might be in the same neighborhood as you guys."

Rin scrunched his nose, "No thanks. You'll annoy the whole neighborhood with the loud sex you have."

Makoto wasn't there but he knew his best friend was blushing excessively.

"Uh, we don't uh, I mean Haru says that we aren't as loud as--you know what? Never mind."

Rin chuckled, "I'm just kidding. It would be nice to be that close to you guys."

"Yeah." Makoto chuckled, "Listen, I have to study for finals so I'll call you later okay?"

"Of course," Rin said.

As the call ended Rin smiled to himself. He was glad they were moving together.

He dialed his phone as he began jogging. "Hey babe, guess what I just found out?"

-

"Nagisa!" Rei chastised his lover, "You need to stop slacking if you want to meet the deadline!"

The blonde chuckled, "Right, sorry... it's just that I kind of lost inspiration. I'll need to talk with Haru-chan again to gain some-- BOO-YEAH!" Nagisa jumped up in his seat and nearly spilled his coffee.

"Be more careful!" Rei scolded as he pushed his papers away from Nagisa's space, "You almost spilled all over my report!"

"Right, sorry...But look! Haru-chan sent us an email!"

"Really?"

"Uh huh! Look!"

Rei peered over Nagisa's shoulder and sure enough, there was a message from Haru on the screen.

Nagisa, Rei,

_ I just want to let you guys know that my presents to you guys will come a lot less frequently. Makoto and I are moving to Japan for the rest of our studies there. It's going to be hectic for the next few months, settling in and getting used to life but I want the two of you to know that if you ever need anything: I'm here. I've done a lot of running my entire life, but I think it's time I stop and settle down, for real this time. You have my number. I wish the two of you the best of luck. _

\---Haruka

"Well," Rei said as he pushed up his glasses, "We all expected that."

"I know right?" The blonde laughed. 

-

The light of Haru's laptop was so bright, Makoto couldn't bring himself to sleep. Instead, he settled for watching his boyfriend work. He watched Haru's eyes scan the screen and how he bit his lip when he was concentrating. Haru looked adorable, like always.

"I'm sorry, am I keeping you awake?"Haru asked after a while.

"It's fine," Makoto said propping himself up, "I like watching you."

Haru smiled before turning back to his work. Makoto rested his head on Haru's shoulder and saw that he was coloring an old work of his.

"Haru what class is this for?"

"It's for Drawing. We're supposed to do it on this program."

Makoto chuckled, "I thought you didn't like graphic design."

"I don't. But professionals mostly use tablets and the like for their work these days."

"I see." Makoto responded, "Well, I like anything Haru makes."

Haru smiled and kissed the top of the brunette's head, "I know you do."

He watched Haru continue to work on his project. It was supposed to be a drawing of a girl with sleek black hair and stark red lips holding an apple. The girl's bangs covered her eyes and her skin was pale. It looked kinda morbid but still stunning.

After a while, Haru finally saved and turned off the laptop. They laid on their bed together. Makoto wrapped an arm around Haru's waist and brought him closer. Haru's head rested on Makoto's chest, his hair tingling the brunette's collarbones.

"I can't believe that in a month we'll be in Japan," Makoto admitted.

"Yeah," Haru said, "Neither can I."

"I haven't been there since...well, since the first time I left." Makoto chuckled.

"Well, you'll be in for a surprise," Haru said. He shifted his head so that the black-haired man was looking up at Makoto, "I'll have to show you how everything has changed."

"Well, I couldn't ask for a better guide." Makoto teased as he kissed the top of Haru's forehead.

"And after college, and we get ourselves steady jobs, could we..." Haru blushed and averted his eyes from the brunette.

Makoto chuckled, "What is it Haru?"

"M-married," Haru's hand tightened on Makoto's shirt, "Unless you don't want to. I mean only soulmates get married really, and we don't know if we are. And it's rare for Soulless to actually--

Makoto kissed Haru in order to stop him. When they pull apart Haru opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Makoto's finger covered it.

"Doesn't matter." Makoto whispered, "I feel the same way."

The smile on Haru's face told everything his lover needed to know. It warmed Makoto's heart to know that the most gorgeous human to ever exist was in his arms.

"I would like to get married at a beach," Haru admitted, "Or on a boat in Venice."

"We could do that," Makoto said, "But it'll have to be small if it were to be in Venice."

"That's fine."

Makoto chuckled as he played with Haru's hair. "And what about children?"

The black-haired man closed his eyes, "Dunno. I've never really imagined it."

"It's alright if you don't want any..."

"No, I might want them. I'll...think about it."

Makoto smiled and kissed the top of Haru's head.

\----

The apartment was filled with boxes alongside the furniture. It was nowhere near completion but at least there were things getting done. Makoto had begun to put away his various video games into a box. At that moment Haru decided to walk in and wrap his arms around Makoto's neck.

"Haru." Makoto whined, "I have to put these into boxes..."

The black-haired man chuckled, "You've been working since this morning. C'mon, take a break."

The brunette shook his head, "You have to work too."

"Let Hiroko take care of it, c'mon."

"Haru," Makoto moaned as Haru left feather-like kisses all over Makoto's neck, "We have things to get done."

"We'll have time for them," Haru promised.

Makoto felt his body tingle to Haru's touch and how his body wanted to caress Haru's. Haru released Makoto and laid on the bed as if he were a cat. Those sapphire eyes looked mischievously into Makoto's jade ones.

"Haru," Makoto sighed, "Get back to work."

"Gladly," Haru said as he cupped the side of the brunette's face and crashed their lips together. All of Makoto's senses flew out the window as he hungrily kissed Haru back. Haru's hand began to unbutton Makoto's shirt as Makoto untied Haru's. When their shirts fall unto the ground, they break apart for a moment, panting as they rested their foreheads against each other. 

"In one week, we'll be in Japan." Haru whispered, "Where we started our lives, and where I hope we'll spend the rest of our lives in."

"As long as we're together even if it's forever," Makoto said as he ran a hand through Haru's hair.

"Yes, together."

\----

"We're going to miss you guys!" Sophia sniffled, "You guys have to come back sometime. It'll be lonely without you!"

"Of course, we'll come and visit." Makoto said as he hugged the crying girl, "You two have been so kind to us."

"Let's hope their neighbors are as nice as you guys," Hiroko added.

"Oh, Hiroko! You're too nice!" Donna chirped, "By the way, who is getting the apartment?"

"Ah, we're giving it to a friend," the brunette responded and winked at Haru.

"Well, I hope you two have a safe trip!" Donna said as she hugged the couple.

Haru smiled, "We will. Thank you, Donna." He turned to Sophia, "And thank you, Sophia."

"Oh, you're making me cry!" Sophia said as she wiped away a tear, "Go before I make you two stay!"

Makoto chuckled and waved goodbye, 'We will, goodbye."

"Goodbye!" The neighbors said in unison before closing their apartment door.

Hiroko sighed, "I'm going to miss this place."

"It was a nice neighborhood," Haru agreed as he interlaced his fingers with Makoto's.

"So...who is the friend that is going to take this apartment?"

"We left you a note with their contact information on the counter." Makoto said, "You can tell them anytime you want that the apartment is theirs."

"Of course." Hiroko nodded.

"Don't forget to give them the keys," Haru added.

"Yes."

"Oh and lastly..."

The girl looked at Haru those sky blue eyes sparkling with so much adoration. It filled Makoto's heart to know how much Hiroko had grown to love them in the few months they lived together.

"Yes?"

Haru grinned, his eyes crinkling and showing so much love for his best friend's child, "Thank you for everything."

Hiroko smiled back, her sky blue eyes watering up, "Y-your welcome!"

She hugged the couple, fighting back tears as she held them.

"I'm going to miss you guys so much!"

Makoto chuckled, "We'll miss you too Hiroko."

"Have a safe trip to Japan you two! Enjoy your time there too!"

"We will."

"Bye guys." Hiroko opened the door to the apartment and closed it. The couple marveled at the door, giving one last look at it. It would the last time for a while that they'll be seeing it and they wanted to etch the memory into their brains a little deeper.

"She doesn't suspect a thing right?" Makoto said as they walked down the hallway.

"She doesn't."

Makoto smiled, "I can't believe we're moving to Japan  _ today _ ."

Haru snorted, "Everything will be alright."

"How can it not be?" Makoto said as he squeezed Haru's hand, "I have you right beside me."

-

After bidding farewell to Haru and Makoto, Hiroko placed the extra spare keys on the counter and spotted the note. As promised, the note had contact information on the new owner but something was strange.

It was  _ her _ contact information. Written in neat handwriting was a small letter to Hiroko as well.

Dear Hiroko,

_ We appreciate your help in reuniting Haru and your mother. We are forever in your debt. The two of us had talked about it and decided the only rightful owner to this place, is you. Enjoy. _

-Haruka and Makoto

Hiroko chuckled to herself and looked up at the sky. "Can you believe these two, mother?" she glanced down at the note and chuckled again, "If these two aren't soulmates, forever wouldn't be enough for them."

-

The alarm blared in their bedroom, and Haru groggily turned it off. Next to him, his lover opened his eyes and studied the black-haired man.

"Morning Haru." Makoto said, "Or should I say Happy Birthday?"

Haru leaned forward and pecked Makoto's mouth. "Good morning."

"What's it like to be a millennium plus one?" Makoto asked.

"Hmm," Haru looked around their new bedroom, the one they have created together since they moved a month earlier. It was a lot more spacious than the old one, and it had enough room to fit all their stuff. Haru was admiring the wall with all the bookshelves behind Makoto before turning back his attention. "Tiring."

Makoto chuckled, "Alright, let's get up, I have so much planned for you today."

Haru smiled, "I can't wait."

The brunette took both of Haru's hands and caressed the finger with the ring, "I should hope so."

Haru's heart swelled with joy. Who knew that Makoto was all Haru ever needed? Before he had thought traveling was the only enjoyment in the world. But ever since he met the love of his life, he's realized that the best part of being alive is having somebody to fall asleep and wake up next to for the rest of their lives. Whether it's for another century, or for eternity, Haru's heart will forever belong to Makoto's, and Makoto's will be Haru's. But then again, not even forever is long enough for his love.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! While writing this fic, I have changed a lot from my original outline but one thing was always clear to me: end the fic without confirming or denying whether or not Makoto and Haru are soulmates. Why? I wanted to take a different twist on the normal soulmate au, where the main characters find out they're soulmates and ride off into the sunset all happy. But I always didn't want to end it with them knowing that they aren't meant to be, and choosing the other, even if it means they won't be together for eternity. The theme of the story since the beginning had always been, "it doesn't matter: soulmates or not; we're meant to be." This fic will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first one I've ever decided to publish. I put my heart and soul into this fic over the past two years and I'm so happy to see the overwhelming support this fic has gotten <3 You guys encouraged me to continue writing more fics.   
> If you ever wanna talk about Makoharu or anything really hit me up on [tumblr!](https://rosiekeith.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thank you for reading. Comments are always appreciated! <3


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